LHS Newsletter

Editor’s Column: Below is the February 2015 issue of the bi-ennial Class of 1962 newsletter.
All classmates are invited to submit a story for the summer issue. Submissions received by May
15, would be timely. Possible topics include retirement, working, hobbies, trips, grandchildren,
photos, or your bio if you haven’t previously submitted one. Stories can be submitted to
rsmith@ociwins.com or bettymoore79701@gmail.com. The featured story, which is the last
article, is about the exciting career of Ray Savage, braving terrorists and inhospitable terrain as a
driller and tool pusher on three continents. Note the surprise ending in Carol Windham’s story.
Table of Contents
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want to return to the TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Reflections - Ann Gilbert Wylie
On October 1, I retired from the University of Maryland after 42 years as a professor of geology
and university administrator. I had actually intended to retire six months earlier, but in the spirit
of “the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t (even if that devil knows nothing about
IT)”, the president of the university appointed me as Interim Vice President for Information
Technology and Chief Information Officer (VPIT/CIO). The university had been hacked by a
sophisticated cyber thief who made off with 350,000 names . . . Click here for more
2. Memories of Cowden Junior High - Gail Stallings Childress
In 1957, in Midland Texas, I walked my first steps into Cowden High. I felt like I was stepping
into a big grown up world. My twin brother Gary, and I were so excited that our parents let us
ride our bikes to school. We lived in Southside Midland on New Jersey Street. Our house was
easy to locate because we were the only house with a front sidewalk. Click here for more
3. What I Remember about Cowden Junior High - Mike Goslin
I went to Cowden Junior High and have a few stories. One that has stuck with me was a class
called "Shop" taught by Mr. Leo Stewart, a fellow who took his job quite seriously. As I recall,
girls were encouraged to take "Home Economics" while boys were directed into Shop. Click
here for more
1
4. What I Remember about Alamo Junior High - Sammye Richardson Waldrip
I attended San Jacinto Jr. High my 7th grade year. My 8th grade year we had a new junior high
school which was Alamo Jr. High. Mr. Leslie Hinds was the new principal. He was my 6th
grade Principal at Lamar Elementary and then he went to Alamo Jr. High. Mr. Hinds was also
the first Principal at Robert E. Lee High School. Click here for more
5. San Jacinto, 1956 - Carol Windham
The conversation began during the summer of 1956 and it seemed monumentally important in a
way that only a twelve-year-old girl can understand. Mother and I were on the positive side, and
my father, who I didn’t believe should have an opinion at all, was on the negative side. The big
question was whether I, Carol, could wear lipstick on the first day of seventh grade. Click here
for more
6. San Jacinto Junior High - Bill Ingram
What I remember most about San Jacinto Jr. High was the tremendous amount of change that we
all went through. First of all, the pure numbers were intimidating. If you were a “star” in
elementary school, we all found out how many other stars there were when we first got together
in the 7th grade. Playground sports gave way to school sports, and our social circles expanded
from how far a bicycle could take you to going on “parent” car dates, and finally getting our
driver’s licenses and real car dates in our 9th grade summer. Click here for more
7. Memories from S.J.J.H.S, M.H.S and L.H.S - Charles Kuykendall
Here are my memories of San Jacinto Junior High, and not surprising, it all revolved around
making the football team. I had my heart set on being a running back; however, my body size
could not keep up with the likes of Steve Thomas, Jeff Edwards, Farrell Davis, Don Puckett,
Bob Ittner, Carl Schriener, and James Martin. Sammy Brown, Mike King, Jim Bobbitt,
and John Waid. And I was definitely not football size during that seventh grade year. Click
here for more
8. Memories of San Jacinto Junior High - June Chase Hankins, with Roselle Mullins George
When Russell asked me to write about San Jacinto Junior High, I immediately accepted, but then
panicked, worried that I would have too few memories to make even a short article. But memory
led to to memory, and I had the good sense to consult Roselle Mullins George, who reminded
me of more experiences in junior high. Click here for more
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9. Memories of Austin Jr. High - Sue Johnson Tull
When Russell asked me if I would write my memories of our junior high, I immediately agreed –
and then hesitated – did I still have memories of a place and time 55 years ago? I haven’t
thought much about those years since our last 9th grade dance, although I do still have dreams of
my mother driving me to school (late) or of my standing outside the building, waiting for her to
pick me up after the last bell. Click here for more
10. Memories of Austin Junior High - Lucy Arkand (Janet Faver Heinrich)
While I was in the sixth grade my parents and I moved from the Bowie Elementary school
district to the Milam Elementary school district. None of us who were in the class of Mr. Alfred
Cluck at Milam will ever forget him. Click here for more
11. Claudette Mullis Barnhart – FB Photo Click here for more
12. Soundra Massey Christy - FB Photo. Click here for more
13. Tom and Judy Wright – Photo. Click here for more
14. Musing on Midland Memories - Warren Lynn Click here for more
I am pretty sure my formative years were significantly different from most of you if only because
my father was a minister. Our evening meal ritual ended with what was called family
worship. It consisted of Bible stories, primarily from the Old Testament, beginning with
Genesis. Click here for more
15. Bob Ittner at Daughter’s Wedding – Photo Click here for more
16. Betty Melzer Moore’s Daughter’s Wedding – Photo Click here for more
17. Hill Country Wedding – Tim Throckmorton’s Daughter – Photo Click here for more
18. Enjoy Life – Kathy Floyd Bradley – Graphic Click here for more
19. FAA Approves Spaceport License for Midland International
Midland International Airport is now Midland International Air & Space Port, as the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) approved a commercial space launch site license for the airport
on Wednesday. Click here for more
20. Samaritan Counseling Center Honors Son and Daughter-in-Law of Sikes Johnson
Sikes Johnson was president of our class at MHS all three years. His son Steve and daughter-inlaw Mai were recently honored as family of the year by Samaritan Counseling Center in
Midland. Click here for more
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21. What Is It Like to Still Be Employed at 70? - Bob Ittner
What is it like to still be employed at 70? I like being paid! It is only recently that I have begun
to consider retirement. 70 in August was a big birthday as it was the first time it really dawned
on me that “No One Gets Out Alive” - Jim Morrison. Click here for more
22. Who has the Most Grandchildren?
Several people have wondered who in our class has the most grandchildren. We decided to hold
a contest as to who has the most grandchildren and great grandchildren (could anyone have great
great grandchildren?). Click here for more
23. Mutual Detraction – Larry Pine
Classmate Larry Pine is currently starring in an off-Broadway comedy named Mutual
Detraction. The play is about two well known writers – Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler –
who collaborated in writing the screen play for “Double Indemnity” in 1943 and spent the rest of
their careers complaining about each other. Click here for more
24. Barbara Lain Camp Inducted into LHS “Wall of Fame”
Barbara Lain Camp was recently honored by being selected to go on the Lee High School
“Wall of Fame.” Camp had the rare honor of winning a state championship in tennis wearing the
colors of both Midland and Lee High. Click here for more
25. Ralph Keller’s Lost LHS Senior Ring Comes Home after 53 Years
In November 2014 Russell Smith received the following email about a lost and found LHS class
of 1962 ring. Ralph Keller confirmed the ring was his. Click here for more
26. Gail Stallings Childress, Richard and Nancy Atchley – Photo Click here for more
27. What’s Going on in Midland – Susan Henderson Askins
Here’s an update on Midland since our last newsletter: The biggest QUESTION FOR 2015: Is
this another Oil Bust?? Click here for more
28. Ray Savage: Roughneck, Miner, Tool Pusher, Drilling Superintendent, Consultant,
Teacher, Interpreter (English, Spanish, Indonesian, French)
Betty Melzer Moore
Ray Savage had probably the most unique and unexpected career in our class. Working mostly
in the oil business, he served on three continents in some of the most inhospitable terrain on the
planet. He survived attacks by terrorists and bandits as well as arrest by the Iranian
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revolutionaries who drove the Shah out. Known as “Wildass” Ray to most of his international
co-workers, Ray has endured many challenges. His oilfield experiences consist of 25 years in the
United States and 25 years in other countries. He started as a rough neck at age 15, working all
night and going to class at MHS the next morning. Click Here for More
5
1962
2012
1. Reflections
Ann Gilbert Wylie
On October 1, I retired from the University of Maryland after 42 years as a professor of geology
and university administrator. I had actually intended to retire six months earlier, but in the spirit
of “the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t (even if that devil knows nothing about
IT)”, the president of the university appointed me as Interim Vice President for Information
Technology and Chief Information Officer (VPIT/CIO). The university had been hacked by a
sophisticated cyber thief who made off with 350,000 names, social security numbers and dates of
birth of everyone associated with the University over the previous twenty years! A search was
on for a new VPIT/CIO, but that was far from being completed and the current VP was unable to
manage his job and this crisis from Florida where he had already moved.
Being VPIT was an exciting and somewhat terrifying end to an administrative career at the
university, where I had served in many capacities, including Assistant President and Chief of
Staff, Dean of the Graduate School, Vice President for Administration and Finance, and Senior
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. Exciting because at our age, taking up
something totally new is particularly unnerving and terrifying because what I learned about
cybercrime, cyber mischief and cyber espionage made me worry about our plugged in future.
However, I completed my assignment, made many new friends, learned a lot, and turned over the
organization and these worries to a new VPIT/CIO.
Many people have asked me what a provost does. The term provost was first applied to the head
administrator of a prison during medieval times, or so the story goes, and we joke about guarding
the inmates. In modern universities, the provost is the academic administrator responsible for
curriculum, research and academic personnel. The deans of the various schools and colleges
report to the provost and bring their issues to that person for discussion. The senior vice
president title adds the responsibility for establishing budget and building priorities. That may
seem a bit overwhelming, but the wonderful thing about academic administration is that
everyone is involved in decision making so one gets lots of advice. In fact, the main problem I
encountered was how to allocate resources among many good and competing priorities. It was
hard to make a mistake. My husband says that the provost is a cross between Judge Judy and
Santa Claus. Perhaps because in academia there are always two (or more) sides to every story
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and many ways to analyze a problem, someone has to make decisions and in our university, that
is the provost: every problem comes to the provost for resolution. It was, therefore, a very
intense and endlessly interesting job. I spent long hours in the office and there were evening
obligations as well.
I also enjoyed the job of vice president for administration and finance. By following the money
one does learn about how a university can and does work. You might wonder how a geology
professor became the chief financial officer of a big university. I wonder that myself! The truth
is that during the seven years I served as assistant president and chief of staff, I studied university
finances. I was busy making arguments the president could use with the state about our needs
for more funding, and trying to figure out what advice I could give the president about internal
reallocation. (Assistant president and chief of staff is staff to the president.) As a scientist, I was
certainly familiar with the analysis of data, so it was a familiar process. And, as strange as it
may seem, I was interested in problems of building maintenance and construction, energy
conservation, and landscaping, so the duties of vice president were enjoyable. I also liked
planning for the future, and in the areas of improvements in the physical plant and the financial
wellbeing of a university, the future is where the action will be.
The thing I liked most about academic administration was working with so many interesting and
able people. The life of a professor is quite solitary, while an administrator is part of a large
team. I really enjoyed that aspect of the job. I also had the opportunity to meet many wellknown people. I met and had the opportunity to talk with the Dali Lama, Cal Ripken, Barak
Obama, George Bush, among others, and scores of visiting dignitaries from all over the world.
But most of all, I loved working with students, in the classroom, in my department, in the
University Senate, and in committee work at all levels. Students keep you young, and to have an
influence on a young person’s life is very rewarding. Today, I think I enjoy seeing alums I have
taught more than just about anything.
I now hold the title professor emerita. I maintain an office and access to a laboratory. I am
finishing up some of those projects I left behind when I became and administrator, and have even
started a few new ones. I loved being a professor and it is nice to return to that role, even though
I am no longer teaching formal classes, and have the freedom to come and go as I please.
On October 1, the day I retired, I was in Midland. I had come to visit my mother and step father
who are both well into their 90’s. I could not help but reflect on the path I had taken since we all
graduated from high school. I have enjoyed reading about others’ remarkable journeys, as we
fanned out in so many directions, all coming from the same place, and because of it, sharing a
deep bond. I have always been very proud to say that I graduated from Midland High School
and that I am a Texan.
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1962
2012
2. Memories of Cowden Junior High
Gail Stallings Childress
In 1957, in Midland Texas, I walked my first steps into Cowden High. I felt like I was stepping
into a big grown up world. My twin brother Gary, and I were so excited that our parents let us
ride our bikes to school. We lived in Southside Midland on New Jersey Street. Our house was
easy to locate because we were the only house with a front sidewalk. We had friends from our
neighborhood and church who also went to Cowden, that helped us become official teenagers.
While attending school, I was on the safety patrol, student counsel, worked in the library and was
a member of the FHA. Doing the school pledge, Lord’s prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance over
the loud speaker once a month was a big honor for me.
My favorite class was home economics. I learned to sew and came in 2nd place in art design for
the state FHA brochure. Miss Cate was a great teacher and a big influence in my life. She
taught me that I could do anything in life, as long as I had the will and desire to accomplish it.
Mrs. Conine was my history teacher and she was tough; always having tests of 10 questions on
Fridays. What I hated most were the pop tests in between, but what I learned from her was the
love of history.
When I was in the 7th grade, I had a ruptured appendix and missed the last 30 days of school,
being very sick in the hospital. Thank goodness that year I was an A student; may have been the
last time too! Don’t remember how, but I got to pass to the 8th grade.
Had heart throbs of Sal Mineo, Ricky Nelson and of course Elvis Presley. Loved music and was
so excited for my 14th birthday, getting my first record player. I was so grown up; that my Mom
bought me my first store bought dress. My Mom was very talented; she made all my clothes and
was my favorite person in the world!
I was a crossing guard at the southwest corner of Cowden, across the street from a car dealership.
I not only helped others get safely to school, but helped adults too. There was one gentlemen on
every Friday, he would give me 25 cents for “a job well done”, as he called it. Hamburger and a
coke were always on the menu. In the 8th grade, I worked in the Library and learned so many
things; how to file cards, rebind books and stock shelves with returned books. My favorite was
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getting to do the hall display of new books and special holidays. I thought of this later in life
when I worked as a District Sales Manager at Avon for 30 years. How I still enjoy creative
thinking.
We had excitement at school also; when Wayne Nolan set off fireworks in the boy’s bathroom
which caused a fire drill. As I entered the 9th grade, I went out for cheerleader with Jane
Frazier. Mom made us really great outfits of purple and white. When Joyce Rose did a
cartwheel, we rolled our eyes and knew we had just lost! She was awesome and made a great
cheerleader. I reflect back and try to remember my tryout cheer, but all I remember is, “Cowden,
Cowden, who are they. Great big bull pups strong and brave”. School seemed harder in classes;
I think from the lack of studying, but high school was in sight.
I started to work on weekends at A & W Root Beer as a car hop, to help pay for clothes and
school activities, such as MHS football games. I had super friends like: Jo Harriett Jackson,
Linda Long, June Parvin, Ann Meredith, Jane Frazier, Mike Goslen, Troy Vines, Ruth
Freeman, Zada Flint, Ira Kirby, Glenn Parker, Oscar Barr and so many ones I don’t recall
their names, but remember the smiles and hellos as we walked the halls.
One of my last memories of Cowden was sitting on the front steps waiting for Mom to pick me
up. What it must have been like in days gone by, of the first students to walk the halls of this old
school; when it was Midland High School.
The years and days have passed, but memories of those times hold a special place in my heart.
We made it out and getting ready to go to MHS, but for a forlorn summer for me. My twin
brother, Gary was hit by a car and in critical condition; unconscious for 28 days and never able
to return to school with me. The Lord blessed him though, and he lived, but he was never the
same Gary and friend. I missed him so much at MHS.
I can’t believe how many of my old classmates I reconnected with from Cowden at our 50th high
school reunion. How the years have gone by and blessed us all !!
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1962
Family 2012
3. What I Remember about Cowden Junior High
Mike Goslin
I went to Cowden Junior High and have a few stories. One that has stuck with me was a class
called "Shop" taught by Mr. Leo Stewart, a fellow who took his job quite seriously. As I recall,
girls were encouraged to take "Home Economics" while boys were directed into Shop.
Shop class was much fun as we got to select our own projects and set about fashioning
wooden lamps, end tables, simple chairs, and such. The school supplied the raw materials and
equipment and the students got to have at it. We operated power tools, like lathes and table saws,
applied varnishes, took a project from a block of wood to the finished product.
Mr. Stewart's shop class took up the west side of the building that also included the gym. The
shop was downstairs, and there was a classroom above where Mr. Stewart monitored
"homeroom." Above and behind his desk hung a about a half dozen crafted (and laminated)
spanking paddles. I had Mr. Stewart for homeroom and each six-week period he examined our
progress. If our report cards did not exhibit favorable grades and conduct, he turned to his
paddles. Any grade below a "C" or conduct score less than "Good" resulted in an application of
his workmanship to our derrieres. I got a taste of his administrations for "Fair" conduct once,
and it was sufficient for correcting my behavior for the remainder of the year.
I don't know if any parents ever called in to complain about this practice. If you played sports,
our coaches followed a similar pattern, so a jock from Stewart's homeroom faced double
jeopardy every six weeks.
I wonder what the school board would do with Mr. Stewart today?
At Cowden, Gene Carpenter and Oscar Barr were friends. While in Jr. High, we would-be
hoopsters pined to get into the high school gym and play on Saturday mornings, but were locked
out.
Gene lived across the street, and on Friday afternoons, he'd sneak in and unlatch one of the
windows in the locker room. Then on Saturday morning, once we Southsiders led by Oscar
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(Gene's cousin) had arrived, he'd open the window, climb through and open the doors from the
inside, we'd flood in and play basketball until the janitor showed up and ran us off.
On lucky mornings we'd get to play 'til we wore out, but there were those days when we got
shooed-out before we could get a sweat going.
The janitor never figured it out, and would always ask, "How did you darn kids get in here?" All
but Gene would reply innocently shrugging our shoulders, "The door was unlocked when we got
here."
Looking back on it, if I had been Coach Bob Todd with an eye toward the future, I'd have made
sure the door was open to kids who wanted to play that badly.
Evie, Christian (nephew), and Mike Goslin – Summer 2014
In Costa Rica
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1962
2012
4. What I Remember about Alamo Junior High
Sammye Richardson Waldrip
I attended San Jacinto Jr. High my 7th grade year. My 8th grade year we had a new junior high
school which was Alamo Jr. High. Mr. Leslie Hinds was the new principal. He was my 6th
grade Principal at Lamar Elementary and then he went to Alamo Jr. High. Mr. Hinds was also
the first Principal at Robert E. Lee High School. The Vice-Principal was Rufus Emmons. He was
hard but a fair man.
I actually still have my handbook for my 9th grade year. Our school colors were scarlet and
gray. The mascot was Scout. Our class officers were: President, Don Weems; Vice-President,
Jerry Marshall; Secretary, Carolyn Cox. Our sponsors were Lila Robinson and Sam Volpe.
We had a great choir teacher named Mrs. Douglas. That year she had the 8th and 9th grade choir
present "Minstrels". One of the great numbers was "In My Merry Oldsmobile". Riding in the
Olds was Betty Kaye Davidson, James Edwards, Soundra Massey and Teddy Teegarden. It
was one of the highlights of the year. I played in the Jr. High band. Dan Stalling was the Band
Director. The band officers were: Bill Simmons, President; Johnny Young,V-President and
Drum Major; Sammye Richardson Waldrip, Secretary. We also had a stage-band and I played
the piano. These were some fun times. The twirlers were: Linda Harper, Soundra Griffith,
Karen Flourney, Gloria Walton, Sally Wright and Paula Clarkson. One of the memories I
had of band was when the band was outside marching and practicing we had a bomb scare. We
looked around and all of the students and teachers were coming out of the building. That was a
big deal for us.
We had a great football team. The 9th grade football captains were John Miller and Carl
Schreiner. Our cheerleaders were Nancy Smith, Yetta Joiner, Sherry Miellmier, Shirley
Dorff, Jan Lichnoysky, Carole Scrivner, Betty Clarkson, Exa Richardson and Retta
Sellars. We had some fun pep rallies and good times at the games.
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I remember so many good friends at Alamo. I mainly ran around with Gayle Williamson,
Soundra Massey, Doris Sellars, Rita Robinson, Kathy O'Neill, Sue Bullion and my 8th grade
friend Betty Jo Moseley. Benton Howell lived across from Betty Jo and I went over to her
house a lot to visit. I was looking in my handbook where people would autograph it and there
were many comments about good luck with Benton. Bet he doesn't remember that.
Some of the other teachers I remember were Mrs. Atnipp, Mrs. Wynn, Mr. Caroll, Miss Douglas
and then there was Mr. Devenport. He was a favorite of many of the girls.
I think one of the favorite memories I have was when we had Kid's Day. We were able to dress
up like little kids. I guess we got to act like little kids too. My Mom made me a cute checkered
dress with a white pinafore. What a fun time we had that day. At the end of the year, we had an
Annual Student Award ceremony. Carl Schreiner and I received the citizenship award for the
9th grade. That was a nice honor.
In my handbook someone wrote this: Remember all the football games.
Remember P.E. and Miss Porter
Remember the ALAMO.
Yes, I guess it is hard to forget the Alamo. I think it is really neat that our class was the first to be
at Alamo and the first to be at Robert E. Lee.
Our Alma Mater
Alamo, Oh Alamo, our Alma Mater hail!
With loyalty and praises
Our love will never fail.
Ever will we cherish the Scarlet and the Gray.
Your halls will ring with memories day by day.
Alamo, Oh Alamo, our Alma Mater true!
We'll stay by you through all the years
And pledge our love to you.
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1962
2014
5. San Jacinto, 1956
Carol Windham
The conversation began during the summer of 1956 and it seemed monumentally important in a
way that only a twelve-year-old girl can understand. Mother and I were on the positive side, and
my father, who I didn’t believe should have an opinion at all, was on the negative side. The big
question was whether I, Carol, could wear lipstick on the first day of seventh grade. As I think
back, those three years at San Jacinto were pivotal in shaping who I am today.
Every day is dramatic when you are a girl in Junior High. There are friendships that shift
between giggly confidences shared in the hall to cold-shouldered isolation, and sometimes those
shifts take place within fifteen minutes. There were football games, class schedules, lockers,
suiting out for gym, passing notes in class, men teachers, adolescent body changes, and pep
rallies. There were boys on the phone, dads driving you and a boy to dances, boys to talk about
at slumber parties, disks with your name on them that were traded with the boy you were “going
with,” dates to the movies, and first kisses. Some of the new experiences were so raw,
unexpected and painful that I can still relive the emotions easily; some experiences that seemed
so important then are vapor now.
I made new friends with people who had gone to other elementary schools. I felt the world
opening up as I became newly aware of myself as an emerging adult. I was no longer defined
only by my parent’s choices, but now choices were mine to make.
Early adolescence is always painful and it would be easy to associate that pain with the location
where it took place. San Jacinto was a petri dish, a space station, and a miasma of life where
personalities were formed and directions were determined.
The ‘final” decision about the lipstick was announced the morning I left for the first day of
seventh grade. There would be no lipstick for a twelve year old! I was heartbroken as we drove
up to the entrance to San Jacinto, that is, until my mother opened her purse and handed me her
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lipstick and a mirror. From then on I went to school with lipstick on and it was never a topic of
discussion again.
Editor’s Note: Carol Windham has retired from ranching in Taylor County, Abilene, Texas.
She now makes video documentaries. In response to the question, “What is it like to make
documentaries,” she responded as follows: “We are making a documentary now called My Place
on the Planet. It is about 6 small towns in America. They are: Clarks Summit Pa, Social Circle,
GA, Clyde, TX, Anthony, NM, Greensburg, KS, and Port Townsend, WA. My company,
Zumafilmz, is small. We have a website: zumafilmz.com. It has some information on it but we
are working on six short videos that introduce the six towns in more depth. I just approved
music today written by Tim Palmer. I hope those shorts will be up in a couple of weeks. The
year that we traveled and shot was hectic and exciting. We met and talked to so many
people. There are interesting people everywhere and it gave me renewed belief in America and
Americans. Now we are editing and it is a much more left-brained job. I hope to complete this
film by late Spring. I am so fortunate to get to do work that I love.” Now you know why she
can write so well.
1962
2012
6. San Jacinto Junior High
Bill Ingram
What I remember most about San Jacinto Jr. High was the tremendous amount of change that we
all went through. First of all, the pure numbers were intimidating. If you were a “star” in
elementary school, we all found out how many other stars there were when we first got together
in the 7th grade. Playground sports gave way to school sports, and our social circles expanded
from how far a bicycle could take you to going on “parent” car dates, and finally getting our
driver’s licenses and real car dates in our 9th grade summer. Even though we eventually split into
2 high schools, I believe the friends we made in Junior High remained close through out our
lives.
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I don’t remember a lot of our teachers’ names, but I do remember a couple of characters. One
was the older lady who taught history (?) and would sit at her desk while we were working and
pop her bra strap back into place continuously. The other was the male teacher who had a
wooden paddle he used to keep order. I think he would be in jail today for child abuse (think
Adrian Peterson). I personally experienced his “love” on one occasion, and could not sit for a
week. Since I am sure I was not the only recipient of his discipline, we may have a class action
law suit on our hands, if the statute of limitations has not run its course after only 50+ years.
I guess it is appropriate at this stage of our lives to say congratulations to all of you who are still
around and can remember our growing years at San Jacinto Junior High.
1962
2012
7. Memories FROM S.J.J.H.S, M.H.S AND L.H.S
Charles Kuykendall
Here are my memories of San Jacinto Junior High, and not surprising, it all revolved around
making the football team. I had my heart set on being a running back; however, my body size
could not keep up with the likes of Steve Thomas, Jeff Edwards, Farrell Davis, Don Puckett,
Bob Ittner, Carl Schriener, and James Martin. Sammy Brown, Mike King, Jim Bobbitt,
John Waid. And I was definitely not football size during that seventh grade year.
Immediately, I was put on the 5th team, right at the bottom of the pack; our jersey color was
yellow – how appropriate. There must have been fifty to sixty boys trying out for the 7th grade
team. The running back position was not in my future at 98 pounds, so I coerced coach Immans
into letting me play guard – imagine a 98 pound lineman. I didn’t covet the guard position, but
the coaches, seeing that I was not going to leave, suggested that quarterback might suit my
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ability and size, and from that day on Mike King and I would fight for that position. Not only
were we trying to prove ourselves in sports, but we were also trying to remember where to go to
class and all the combinations to the locks - book locker, gym locker, football locker and even a
locker in shop.
I am actually looking at our 7th grade team picture right now. I cannot believe I found it in a
desk drawer. Jeff Edwards is frowning due to the sun in his eyes, but Steve Thomas has a
pleasant smile, and Don Puckett has that look that he has done something wrong. John Waid is
leaning back like he is in full control – we know that wasn’t true. Jimmy Edwards is in a
leather jacket looking like James Dean, and Ferrell has that Troy Donahue look. However, Jim
Bobbitt and I are bookends on the front row with thin faces and ears trying to find their place;
Sammy is in the middle of the front row with ears to match.
Top L – R Coach Duncan, George Cason 9 (dec.), Bill Cates 26, Jeff Edwards 29, Johnny Burns 28, Troy Roberts 15, Larry Gool 30, Steve
Thomas 27, Don Weems 21, Jerry Payte 24, James Edwards (Mgr.)
Middle – Wayne Lanham 12 (dec.), R.A. Stewart 4, Larry Hambrick 6 (dec.), Roy ? 7, John Bannister 22, Don Puckett 25, Tom West, Bob Ittner
2, Mike King 19, Farrell Davis 21, Carl Schreiner 12, Mike Smith 11
Front – Jim Bobbitt 8, Joe Pennell 3, Roy McBryde 5, 13?, Eddie Stapp (dec.) 4, Steve Pennick 7, Sammy Flournoy Brown 2, John Waid 14, 8?,
James Stinnett, 17, Charles Kuykendall 1
As we entered Midland High, the terrifying process of selecting players for the football team
began again. There were over 100 young men – all with the same desire to play high school
football. This was only for the B-team. With three to four people assigned to a single locker and
seeing the varsity at the far end of the building and field – it was quite intimidating. The varsity
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had some of the meanest and biggest guys in town – the likes of Tracy Barker and Don Marshall
(both golden glove champions in west Texas).
With the new head coach from Kansas and Sam Cox moving up to high school, the selection
process began much like junior high. With too many people, too much August heat, too much
competition, players began to leave. In about two weeks our B-team became a reality; we were
so “green,” but the coach began to use us to challenge the varsity. We never stopped until after
dark. One night during red zone practice, the varsity could not score against us. Coach Fischer
was livid; no one could see, and the B-team was not going to give an inch. With profanity and
shouts of anger, the coach, tired of seeing the little guys in control, dismissed the varsity. That
year the B-team only lost one game. We were on a roll!
My only claim to fame as a football player came as a B-teamer, with a 99 yard interception run
that helped to defeat the Snyder B-team. Nevertheless, the Permian Panthers would take me
down with a direct hit to my left knee toward the end of the season. We actually beat them
because of players like Jeff Edwards, Steve Thomas, Carl Schreiner, Sammy Flournoy
Brown, and Mike King. I ended up having my knee reconstructed the next summer at Harris
Hospital here in Fort Worth. During my junior year I rehabilitated my knee and watched as my
friends had one of their best seasons. Our years together as teammates were coming to a close.
As seniors, we all faced the reality of attending Midland High or the new school Lee High.
Loyalties and friendships would be tested that last year in high school.
Playing at a new school with a new coach was a trying experience. I’m sure the guys at Midland
High had a similar time of it – I think they won a game or two more than we did. It wasn’t a
season to remember, but I managed to set one record. In Amarillo, playing Palo Duro High
School, on a very cold windy night, I managed to lose 70 yards in 10 carries – our passing game
was all we had, and needless to say, it was not working. I think the next day the Amarillo
newspaper gave me the distinction of being Palo Duro’s leading ground gainer.
In our final game – Midland vs. Lee – if my memory serves me well – both teams played evenly
until the half. Then I suffered a concussion on a hard hit but continued to play. Obviously, we
know more today than we did back then about head injuries. If Jeff Edwards were to tell this
story, his claim to fame would be the interception of my pass in the third quarter. I don’t
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remember it and don’t believe it, but that play led Midland to its victory over Lee. If I were
completing this story, albeit I had a concussion, I would say the ball was tipped as I attempted to
pass. Jeff was in the right place at the right time for him. What luck for MHS!
These are my memories of Friday Night Lights, and I invite any classmate, except for Jeff, to
make corrections. After all, it has been 51 years.
Note: During the project that rebuilt our class list in 2012, the home of San Jacinto football team
member Eddie Stapp was contacted. His wife said that he had worked his career as a support
person for police departments. He had passed away a short time before. She said, “Three days
after he died, he came to me in a dream. He stayed for quite a while. He told me ‘everything
would be okay.’ And that made me feel a lot better.”
When Austin Junior High played San Jacinto in 8th grade, the coaches were Carroll Duncan at
Austin and his twin brother at San Jacinto. Larry Bell made the only touchdown for Austin.
But Austin was crushed by a large margin due to the superior play of the San Jacinto team.
1962
8. Memories of San Jacinto Junior High
June Chase Hankins, with help from Roselle Mullins George
When Russell asked me to write about San Jacinto Junior High, I immediately accepted, but then
panicked, worried that I would have too few memories to make even a short article. But memory
led to memory, and I had the good sense to consult Roselle Mullins George, who reminded me
of more experiences in junior high. I remembered that I walked to school at San Jacinto Junior
High from my house on North A Street, meeting Roselle at Marilyn McCullough’s house, and
walking the rest of the way together. Roselle remembers that we usually car-pooled with Marilyn
and Judy Stentz. She reminded me that Judy’s family had a yellow Ford hard-top convertible,
whose top “magically slid into the trunk.”
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Some other memories:
The green and white school colors and the mustang mascot.
Miss Halvorsen’s speech class, with a Van Gogh print hanging on the back wall—“Cypresses,” I
think? She taught us that “ten” and “tin” should not sound the same, that “adult” and “address”
should be pronounced with the accent on the last syllable, and that “extemporaneous” and
“impromptu” are different kinds of speeches. I loved her class, so surely she must have taught us
more interesting things than these. Under her direction, we produced plays, which I can name
only because I put the programs in my scrapbook: “It Could Have Been Worse ” (I hope the
unfortunate title was accurate), “The Decline and Fall of Wilber’s Empire,” and “French Toast.”
Mrs. (pronounced “Miz”) Miley’s world history class. She gave us a first-person account of
people’s joyful reactions when they learned that World War I was over. When we began work
that was to be turned in, she would say, “Take out yo’ paper and write yo’ reg’lar San Jacinter
headin’ at the top.” You knew where you stood in Mrs. Miley’s class. I remember her as looking
much like Mrs. Olsen, the teacher in the current comic strip “Frazz.”
The Texas history class, taught with comic books that included derogatory caricatures of
Mexicans.
The science teacher who always had a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket. and who told us that
he and his wife never accepted dinner invitations unless their children were invited, too.
The eighth-grade science teacher, Mrs. McConnell. “She showed us that water would always go
to the same level when poured into some squiggly connected test tubes and told us that when she
lived in Tulsa the diapers froze on the line. I asked if they were dry when they thawed out.” I
remember her teaching us definitions that I have used ever since: inertia, convection, mass.
The ninth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Parr. Roselle remembers, “She seemed very hard and I
received my first ‘C’ ever on an assignment. My mother was so surprised that she went in for a
meeting with her. Mrs. Parr had a lasting influence.” I remember hearing Mrs. Parr pronounce
the word “zenith,” which I had not heard before, and for discussing a story by Dorothy Canfield
Fisher. And reading “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”
Drivers Ed. Roselle confirmed my memory that we took drivers education in ninth grade—I had
chalked it up to false memory, since we were only fourteen at the time. But we were able to pass
the written portion of the test and receive a learner’s permit. I believe the course was taught by a
coach and included discussion about football.
A door—I suppose to the art room—on which had been stenciled “Arts and Crafts.” Some wag
had inserted the letter “F” before “Arts.” If I remember correctly, it was next to the shop lab.
Hmm.
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Suiting up for gym. Girls wore blue shorts and white blouses with the girl’s name embroidered in
blue over the pocket. My mother bought the set and had it embroidered at the J. C. Penney store.
Trying out, with another friend, for the school talent show. We wanted to sing something from
the musical “Oklahoma” and inexplicably chose “I Can’t Say No.” We never thought about what
request the singer couldn’t say no to. And neither of us could sing. In a mercy to all concerned,
we were not chosen to perform. But I remember rehearsing in my parents’ living room. Roselle,
who was in the chorus, fared better. She says that when she auditioned, the girl standing behind
her “sang very loudly so I was chosen.”
Listening to Elvis Presley records. A friend had to sneak her Presley records, which she had
purchased on the sly, out of her house because her parents thought Elvis was indecent. My
grandmother loved to hear Elvis sing “Love Me Tender.”
Hanging out in the girl’s restroom during the Christmas dance with other girls, avoiding the risk
of not being asked to dance. There also was a “formal,” maybe for ballroom-dancing class, to
which many of us wore dresses ruffled with very scratchy nylon net. And speaking of nylon net:
the fashion was full skirts with multiple petticoats starched to a ne’er-thee-well, which my
mother found silly (of course she was right), and of which she provided me only a few. Sitting
down at my desk, I could actually see the bumps of my knees under my skirt, instead of a
petticoat-poofed mound. Alas! Roselle remembers that when we carpooled “we had a problem
all fitting into any of the cars because of all our petticoats.”
“Hoofprint,” the mimeographed school newspaper. According to the May 28, 1957, issue
faithfully preserved in my scrapbook, Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up” was a new and “very
popular” song, and “The Boy on a Dolphin” was a “good movie that will come to Midland
soon.” Bob Davis made some “fearless predictions” for the coming professional baseball season,
including that Hank Aaron would be M.V.P. in the National League and Ted Williams in the
American League. Johnny Hill, apparently editor of the paper, thanked staffers Kay Fowler,
Linda Latham, Bob Davis, Byron Bartlett, and Sally Eastham. Probably the paper was
written by ninth graders, so I didn’t recognize any of our names.
Roselle and I agree that we had some excellent teachers at San Jacinto Junior High. Our good
fortune continued in high school.
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1962
2010
9. Memories of Austin Jr. High
Sue Johnson Tull
Let’s do a word association. Ready? Austin Jr. High School. What images come into your
mind when you hear that name?
When Russell asked me if I would write my memories of our junior high, I immediately agreed –
and then hesitated – did I still have memories of a place and time 55 years ago? I haven’t
thought much about those years since our last 9th grade dance, although I do still have dreams of
my mother driving me to school (late) or of my standing outside the building, waiting for her to
pick me up after the last bell.
My hostess for our 50th reunion, Mary Lou Cassidy, gave me a tour of Midland while I was
there, including a drive out to Austin. Unlike my memories (and my dreams) the drive wasn’t
far. But the building as it stands today is different from the one I remembered. The school
district has enclosed the wings to fend off winter weather, and so its appearance has been altered.
But, more important, they have also changed the name and the function of the school. It is now
Lee High School 9th Grade Campus. Austin Jr. High, as we knew it, no longer exists.
But Austin was more than just a building; it was a place for growing, and that is what I
remember about it.
When the brand new school opened, in the fall of 1957, I felt brand new, too, shaking off the
childishness of elementary and becoming aware for the first time that I was nearing the teen-age
years. I loved being able to change classes, rather than staying in one room all day; I found
having electives quite grown up; and I also discovered for the first time that boys were, after all,
interesting.
I can remember the structure of the building, and the function of its wings (but to check my
memory, I found a map of the school on the MISD website, at
http://www.midlandisd.net/site/Default.aspx?PageID=10241. Scroll down the quick links until
you find the link to the school map). I remember only three wings, but the map shows four. The
middle wings contained the classrooms, and that was where we spent most of our days. The
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rooms, you may recall, could be accessed through the interior hall, banked with our lockers, or
the sidewalk that ran along the exterior wall. Each classroom had a wall of windows, for which I
was grateful – there was always the possibility that something interesting would happen outside
the room, a distraction from the day’s lesson.
Looking at the map of the northern wing brought back the memory of two experiences that must
be compared to walking the gauntlet. The offices and library were there, as well as the
classroom of Mr. Green. To reach the library, students would pass by the corner of his
classroom, creating a disruption to his teaching. Perhaps he had a genuine complaint, but to my
7th grade mind, this teacher, like the witch in Hansel and Gretel, crouched inside his door, and
when students walked by, he would spring out, gather them up, and march them to the office. I
was one of his captives, certainly innocent and undeserving of being sent to the principal.
If we managed to navigate past Mr. Green’s room, we had a further obstacle when we reached
the library. The librarian, whose name I cannot recall, was a terror, like the three-headed dog
guarding the gate to the underworld. She was very particular about her books; it seemed to me
that she could barely stand to see them removed from the shelves, lest they be reshelved out of
order. Once, during those Jr. High years, I misplaced a library book. With trembling voice, I
confessed the loss to her; she did indeed scold me for my carelessness and informed me that I
would have to pay for it. Later, the book reappeared. It had been hidden from sight, stowed on a
shelf under her desk. I was convinced she had hidden it on purpose, just one tactic to terrorize
innocent 7th graders.
The southern wing was the scene, no doubt, of most of our happy memories, since the
auditorium, gyms, and art/music classrooms were located there. I had both negative and positive
feelings about the gymnasiums; PE was the part of junior high that I most disliked, not because
of the class itself but because we had to change into ugly gym clothes and, at the end of class, we
had to shower. I was not an athlete, so PE was difficult for me, but having to take a shower was
the worst. We had to parade in front of the PE teachers wrapped in towels, so they could see that
we had indeed cleaned up. We soon learned the tactic of splashing water on our shoulders and
faces; that passed muster without actually having to endure a whole body wash.
But the gym was also the place where school dances were held, to the beautiful voice of Donna ?
and, of course, the recordings of Frankie Avalon, Paul Anka, Connie Stevens, and, of course,
Elvis. (Now that was music!) I remember dancing to “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and, at our last
dance before moving on to high school, marveling at the underwater decorations, complete with
coral, fishing nets, and glittery cardboard fish suspended from the ceiling. The gym was also the
scene of those great pep rallies, which were a testament to the unending energy of Jr. High kids –
and a wonderful reason to get out of class.
Many of us had electives that took us to the art/music department. I was in the band and
underwent, with the rest of my fellow musicians, the trauma of losing Charles Eagle, the first
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director. He was a man with a great passion for music and for kids, but he was forced to leave
because of his low salary. I do not remember his successor’s name [Mr. Swaim], but I do
remember how we all rebelled against him because he was not Mr. Eagle.
And, of course, I remember many of the other teachers.
In the 7th grade, we discovered Texas history – our teacher, Miss Hill, introduced us to salt maps
and Texas bravado. Miss Sowell taught 7th grade English, focusing on interminable vocabulary
and verb exercises. I detested those lists of words, but I had to admit, in high school, that they
had given me a necessary skill. I remember most her introduction to Ichabod Crane and the
Headless Horseman. I spent hours trying to draw their last race across Sleepy Hollow, and,
although my art work was primitive, my passion for storytelling was awakened.
In the 8th grade, I am afraid that teacher’s names have vanished from my memory, although I do
remember the kindness of my English teacher and unfortunate lack of inspiration of the science
teacher. I did not have a watch, so I devised a method of watching the sun as it moved up the
bricks of the opposite wing – perhaps I did learn some science there, as I had created a primitive
sun dial to while away the time.
Our 9th grade year was the first teaching year for the beautiful Mrs. Windsor, a former twirler at
UT, and she survived it with grace. She had at least one unruly class, in which I was one of only
3 girls; she somehow managed to keep order, teach grammar, and instill a love of reading. I had
the privilege of meeting Mrs. Windsor at a conference for teachers in the early 90’s. When I
greeted her and revealed that I had been one of her first students, she did not remember me, but
she did remember the class! And she was, at that meeting, more than 30 years later, still a
beautiful, talented teacher.
I was never a scientist, but Mrs. Henderson did awaken the possibilities of its excitement. She
maintained a balance between the respected instructor and someone whom we knew was
interested in us personally. She had two events at her home for her students: a tea for the girls,
and an exploration of a 22-foot-deep hole that was in her back yard (dug by her kids) We loved
her.
Mrs. Thomas was the penultimate math teacher. I was terrified of her – her reputation was well
known, before any of us were her students. Gruff and intimidating, she nevertheless made the
unintelligible make sense, as she wielded the x’s and y’s with expertise.
When I have to select security questions for Internet sites, I often select “Favorite Teacher,” and
I put Robert Carter (now I will have to go back and change that answer, I suppose). I will never
forget some of his innovative lessons, especially putting us in Greek city states and, as we
studied the middle ages, arranging us in feudal manors. I also remember the ominous “terms and
acquaintances” that were a tedious weekly assignment; but these, like Miss Sowell’s vocabulary
lessons, developed both skill and carefulness. He also taught me how to put a semi-colon in
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front of “however,” a feat that I fully appreciated when trying to teach my own students that
basic punctuation skill – and not always successfully.
Editor’s Note: A few years ago, I contacted our 9th grade history teacher Robert Carter on the
phone. I said to him, “Mr. Carter. I wanted to tell you, you were the best teacher I ever had
between first grade and completing the doctorate.” He was about 82 years old and was living in
a townhome right near the corner of “A” St. and Scharbauer Dr. He said he had completed a
doctorate in theology (Th.D.) and that he had just finished a two-year job serving as visiting
pastor at a church in Los Angeles.
1962
2012
10. Memories of Austin Junior High
Lucy Arkand (Janet Faver Heinrich)
While I was in the sixth grade my parents and I moved from the Bowie Elementary school
district to the Milam Elementary school district. None of us who were in the class of Mr. Alfred
Cluck at Milam will ever forget him. His lessons covered everything from precisely how to cross
our t's to how to read out loud without a single stumble; from what we should do with our hands
when we wanted to know how to find the weakest player on a volleyball team. (I was the
unanimous choice!) Never a dull moment in Mr. Cluck's classroom.
With that move, I also landed in the Austin Junior High school district. We lived on East Cedar
street, and Carol Crain's house was catty-corner to ours. Mike Webb, who was a year ahead of
us, was across the street, and Janice Birchfield lived down the block at the other end. David
Gooch lived next door to me.
Dale and Anita Riggs and Sandra Huff lived on our block as well, and were two or three years
behind us in school. We were all together constantly. And we are all Austin alumni.
My memories of that neighborhood - everyone out from dawn until well into the night, riding
bikes, playing touch football, sitting for hours on David's lawn because it was the nicest on the
block, and a group of us walking to Hogan Park Pool every single day during the summer with
our season passes - often bring a smile to my face.
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And it was great to know that we would have a group of friends, ready-made, when we ventured
forth into the unknown territory of Junior High. Sometime during the summer before this giant
step, my mother and I decided that I would become a blonde. She cut my unruly brown hair, and
we tried out a product called Light and Bright, (or maybe Lite and Brite), not sure if it's still
around. For the rest of my school days, and all the way up until today, I have mostly chosen to be
a blonde, although I have gone back to my natural color from time to time. I remember some of
the girls asking me whether I bleached my hair, but I was twelve years old, and actually thought
it was kind of wicked to have bleached hair, so I said no, the sun must have done it. Ah, well.
Sorry, girls. Of course you were right.
I remember some of the teachers at Austin, but not all of them. Diana Daugherty is one I
remember. Bless her heart. She had her hands full teaching English to a class full of young
people my grandmother would have called "rowdies." I took my camera to school from time to
time and I have a picture of Ms. Daugherty, hand raised, pointing in the general direction of the
principal's office, ordering someone to go there for having done some disruptive thing or
another. [See note at end of article.] She nearly sent me once. I still remember the icy chill in my
stomach when she called my name. But my dear friend, Janice-from-the-block, spoke up and
said I had not done what I was accused of doing, and I was spared. (It was true. I was innocent.
At least that time I was.)
Susann Hughes and Detra Rankin were good friends of mine at Austin. Susann and I went to
camp together the summer between 7th and 8th grades. Detra and I made matching skirts in Ms
Popes' Home Economics class, and we loved to wear them on the same day. Speaking of skirts, I
remember a skirt that Chona Robledo had that I envied. I wasn't skilled enough to make one just
like it, or I probably would have. It was a full skirt made of alternating sections of pink and
black. Very, very cool. I think she told me her mother had made it.
A boy named Larry Posey gave me my first "disc" at Austin. Remember discs? The one
Larry gave me was from Woolworth's. They would engrave discs, ID bracelets, whatever you
wanted while you watched. I miss that store so much.
Linda Damewood and I were in an Elvis Presley fan club. She was his biggest fan, and I
remember her calling me on the phone the day one of his records was released and excitedly
asking me to meet her at the record store, where we could listen to it in the booth even if we
didn't purchase it. (We both purchased it.) I think the song was Love Me Tender. I miss that
store, too.
I have another memory about which I could be wrong, but maybe someone else will recall? Very
soon after the beginning of our seventh-grade year at Austin, I seem to remember that an
order came down from the principal's office that boys were not allowed to wear white t-shirts
unless they wore another shirt over them. Many of the boys got together and vowed to come to
school the next day wearing white t-shirts, and I was so excited. I felt like I was living the life of
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a real, honest-to-goodness, rebellious teen. It was vicarious, of course, but I still thought it
was wonderful. The next day, a lot of the boys did wear just the white t-shirts, and as far as I can
remember, nothing happened. Perhaps they were called in to the principal's office, one by one,
but there was no uproar, and I, for one, was sorely disappointed.
Another rather random memory I have of Austin was one day after school when a bunch of us
were clustered beside the building. We noticed a very small, silver-white disc up in the sky and
we stared at it for several minutes while it remained absolutely still. We were all convinced it
was a flying saucer. Does anyone else remember that?
I reached out to Russell Smith when I received the newsletter featuring Woody Gwyn to tell him
I had a Woody Gwyn story as well. He asked me to write some memories of Austin Junior
High, so I will include my Woody Gwyn story here. There was a dance, (Didn't we have a lot of
dances! One of my favorite memories of those days. My mother made sure I was prepared for all
of them by enrolling me in Mr. Bingham's dance classes!) Anyway, there was a dance in the
girl's gym one night, and a bunch of us girls were "hiding out" in the dressing room, giggling and
talking, when one girl came in and said Woody Gwyn was asking girls to dance and then kissing
their hands when the dance was done. We all squealed, and I walked, as casually as possible,
right out to the dance floor, where I made sure to place myself in Woody's sight. Sure enough, he
asked me to dance, and sure enough, when the dance was over he bowed, like a fairy tale prince,
lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it! I was euphoric. It was the first time anyone had ever
kissed my hand, and of course I had quite a crush on him from that moment on.
Thanks to Russell for asking me to write this! It was fun and it did stir some fond memories.
Lucy Arcand (Janet Faver/Heinrich)
Editor’s Note: The person Miss Daugherty was sending to the office was probably me. The
day before, Dell Thompson had hid in her closet, and when she opened the door, he fell out on
the floor. The next day, I repeated Dell’s stunt. Only this time, she didn’t think it was funny and
sent me straight to the principal’s office. I understand Miss Daugherty passed away several
years ago probably while still her 50’s.
Linda Damewood.. Several classmates have requested contact information on Linda
Damewood. She moved to San Angelo just before 10th grade. So far no one has come forward
with information. Can anyone provide contact info on Linda?
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11. Claudette Mullis Barnhart
Claudette Mullis Barnhart – Facebook photo posted on Classmates.com - Aug 14, 2014
FB Profile
MHS 1961
Claudette Mullis attended Cowden Junior High and attended MHS during sophomore and junior
years. It is believed she moved to Ft. Davis, Texas prior to senior year. According to a friend,
she “lived all over the world” during the years between school and the present. She looks just
like she did at MHS, except for the glasses.
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12. Soundra Massey Christy
Photo from Facebook.
Soundra Massey Christy with Grandchildren
13. Tom and Judy Wright
Tom and Judy Wright (in God’s country – Colorado)
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1962
14. Musing on Midland Memories
Warren Lynn
Russell asked me to write an article for the newsletter. Having written a few memories of Larry
Pine, I started thinking about growing up in Midland.
I am pretty sure my formative years were significantly different from most of you if only because
my father was a minister. Our evening meal ritual ended with what was called family
worship. It consisted of Bible stories, primarily from the Old Testament, beginning with
Genesis.
In the beginning there was the void. This calls to mind the galactic black holes slowing
attracting all matter within its pull. Black holes merge and the universe shrinks until the last
gamma ray or neutrino is pulled in. The density is now too great. It collapses. In the beginning
was the word and the word says let there be light. And there was the big bang. Energy
becoming matter. The absolute essence or spirit, if you will, which ordered all the forces that
control this manifested matter is the basis of all that is. It is all and in all.
The Bible goes on to describe what science tells us probably happened. The planet formed, the
firmament formed which formed the seas, the dry land appeared, the animals of the sea and the
land and at last man was formed in the image and likeness of this absolute essence.
If you take a hologram and project a tiny part of it, the complete picture appears. Man is the
manifestation of the idea of the absolute essence of itself. We all have all its qualities - spirit,
creativity, intelligence, power, love, eternalness. Jesus says we are all gods.
The stories of the Old Testament are about men and women who communicated with this spirit
essence. Sometimes it was through visions, or dreams, or messengers, even the voice out of the
whirlwind. When these people did what this essence told them to do, however reluctantly, often
seemingly miraculous things happened. So I grew up daily exposed to the possibility of
communicating with the spiritual essence of the universe. Almost all cultures around the world
believe in the power of communication with this spirit and have practices for people to develop
contact with this absolute essence, be it meditation, fasting, tests of endurance, drugs, tonal
30
dancing or others rites. Most of these cultures reinforce the idea that as one meets god and
receives messages, their true name, they thus receive their personal magic powers which they are
to use for the benefit of their community.
Part and parcel with Christianity come the simple rules to love god, love your neighbor and love
yourself. After all, if we are all gods, if you love god you must love yourself and all others. I
didn't have but a little age on me before I realized that not everyone believed you were to treat all
other people the way you wanted to be treated. About that same time, I also realized there was
virtually no one my age who knew anything about the Bible. Going to church and Sunday
school did not give them a biblical education.
Being exposed to the "Flats" and the barrios of Midland also led me to identify Blacks and
Hispanics with the Samaritan of parable fame. The Samaritans were so despised that Jews were
not even to speak to them or acknowledge them in any way. But the Samaritan was the symbol
of the neighbor whom we are to love. Instead I saw them socially and institutionally denied
education, opportunity, jobs, justice and the vote. These measures of denial were perpetrated by
people who considered themselves good Christians and good Americans.
It was disillusioning. I felt like I got a good solid basic education in Midland schools but it really
did not tell the real story of our history and current events. The genocide of the Native
Americans and repeatedly broken promises and treaties with them was omitted. Later it was the
U.S. policy of overthrowing democratically elected leaders in Iran, Central and South America in
order to install brutal dictators who allowed U.S. corporations to pillage natural resources and
burden countries with so call debt to the World Bank system. It is disillusioning.
All my life it was not unusual for the phone to ring in the middle of the night calling for help of
some kind from my father. When I was a sophomore in high school, the John Birch Society
mounted a campaign of harassment against my father. I could hear him answering calls in the
middle of the night and arguing with someone on the phone. This went on all through my school
days and after. He told me it began when he refused to sign a petition to ban "1984" and other
books from the MHS library. He was against censorship generally but also because they had not
read the books. They also attacked him as being a communist because the Presbyterian Church
was (is) a member of the National and also World Council of Churches. These groups have
Eastern Orthodox and Russian Orthodox members and therefore were communist front
organizations. It’s ironic that it started with "1984" since now the right wing uses Orwellian
techniques and worse in their propaganda.
It’s a bit disillusioning to realize that the grand experiment of U.S. democracy is on the brink of
collapse because the ideals have little meaning in our current political practice. Not many major
cultural empires last much longer than 300 years due to the failure to adapt their practices to
changing circumstance. Much of the Middle East is desert because of salt accumulation from
irrigation, for example. Unfortunately hydrocarbons that have been such a tremendous boon to
31
our culture have proven to be toxic in almost all their forms. They have done unknown amount
of chromosomal damage to our children and grandchildren as well as many other life forms. But
we won’t give up our gas or our plastics or chemicals until probably it's too late.
I don't mean to be too gloomy because I am not. I believe in the ultimate goodness of the
universe. Einstein said that it was composed of Love. When we see our children for the first
time, we experience the instant expansion of our capacity to love. This capacity is
unlimited. We humans are a manifestation of spirit emanating from the idea of a benevolent
essence
We all know the saying, "I think therefore I am," but it can be taken as what we think is what we
am. Within us all is the ability to control our conscientiousness and direct it toward positive
manifestations in our lives and our communities. Quantum dynamics tells us if we look at an
electron as a particle it will act like a particle. If we look at it as energy, it will behave as
energy. Our thinking makes it so. Believing also makes it so. Think the placebo effect.
More and more people in this country want clean air and water. They want products that are not
hazardous to the health of the planet. They want peace and justice in the world for all people. I
would entreat all of you to turn your thinking processes to manifesting peace, harmony and
justice throughout you own life and throughout the world.
In closing see that we are all changing. I have had a beard most of my adult life. I shaved it off
once when my oldest son was about 3 or 4. He gasped and said, "Gosh, you look just like Uncle
Larry. Only he's better looking." Now that I am much older, I do look a lot more like
Larry. Not my brother Larry, but that of Curly and Moe.
Note: Not long ago, Gloria Madrid said, “Warren Lynn was sooo cute in high school. What
has happened to him now?”
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Robert Ittner “marrying off” his Daughter
15. Bob Ittner at Daughter’s wedding
This recent photo of Robert Ittner and his daughter was provided by Betty Melzer Moore. She
said, “He looked ‘smashing’ in his wedding suit.” Forty-eight years have now passed since
Bob was captain of the basketball team at the University of Texas. It seems like it just couldn’t
have been that long ago.
Charles (dec. Nov. 2014) and Betty Melzer Moore with Heidi Moore and Scott Henderson
16. Betty Melzer Moore’s Daughter’s Wedding
Heidi Jean Moore and Jeffrey Scott Henderson were united in marriage May 3rd, 2014 at the
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Cypress Event Center in Wimberley, Texas. The couple has been engaged since September 2013,
when Jeff proposed to Heidi as they reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania,
Africa. Heidi is a veterinarian in Bastrop, Texas.
Steve Thomas
Tim Throckmorton
Jim Bobbit
John Waid
L to R are Steve Thomas, Tim Throckmorton, Jim Bobbit, and John Waid
17. Hill Country Wedding – Tim Throckmorton’s Daughter
The picture above was taken at the wedding of Tim’s Throckmorton’s daughter Taylor during
the weekend 4 – 5 October 2014. The wedding was held at Camp Waldemar, a super fun event
with Cory Morrow playing at the gathering the night before and a great band at the reception.
Pictured above are four of the Nation’s Finest roommates from 1964: Steve Thomas, Tim
Throckmorton, Jim Bobbitt, and John Waid.
18. Enjoy Life
Submitted by Kathy Floyd Bradley
34
Kathy Floyd Bradley 2014
19. FAA Approves Spaceport License for Midland International
Midland is first Commercial Airport Certified as Spaceport
Midland International Airport is now Midland International Air & Space Port, as the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) approved a commercial space launch site license for the airport
on Wednesday.
Marv Esterly, the city of Midland’s director of airports, received the license during an FAA
Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee meeting in Washington, D.C.,
Wednesday morning.
“I’m very excited and relieved at the same time knowing we passed a major milestone and made
history that is something to be very proud of,” Esterly said via email after the meeting.
Though there are eight other commercial spaceports with FAA licensing, Midland International
Air & Space Port is the first primary commercial service airport certified by the FAA as a
spaceport.
“The proximity of the airport to the spaceport allows us to take advantage of existing
infrastructure, which in turn lowers cost to the operators and offers us a competitive advantage
over operations at remote locations,” Esterly said in a press release .
The spaceport business model is to start small and expand as needed while leveraging existing
facilities before building new ones in order to keep costs low for commercial space companies,
according to the press release. Over the next few years, Midland will work to adapt the current
spaceport concept to accommodate other types of launch vehicles and the needs of aerospace
companies as they arise.
Two space companies are planning to relocate to the spaceport: XCOR Aerospace and Orbital
Outfitters, both from California. XCOR Aerospace plans to launch suborbital flights from the
spaceport, and Orbital Outfitters plans to build spacesuits for XCOR’s vehicles and operate a
multi-use altitude chamber complex from the spaceport.
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“For over a century, Midlanders have been challenging frontiers and conquering world-changing
innovations: the original Midland wildcatters to the now high-tech horizontal drillers; Jim Hall
who revolutionized the automobile industry with his ground-breaking aerodynamic designs; and
Leo Windecker who produced the first FAA-certified all-composite aircraft that influenced the
way most aircraft are designed today,” said Andrew Nelson, president of XCOR, in a press
release.
XCOR, the spaceport’s anchor tenant, broke ground for its future Midland home on Aug. 15, and
Orbital Outfitters is preparing to break ground sometime within the next two months. XCOR
plans to launch from Midland by late 2015.
The spaceport is a work in progress that began two years ago by the Midland Development
Corp., a 4A sales tax-funded group that actively recruits companies to come to the spaceport,
such as XCOR and Orbital Outfitters. Robert Rendall, MDC board chairman, said MDC is
currently in talks with more companies.
“We are in constant contact,” Rendall said. “Today (Wednesday) the spaceport license
announcement was made in D.C., and our (MDC) staff is having meetings with people today. So
there’s a tremendous buzz in the space industry right now because we’re the first spaceport that
is in a commercial airport context.”
While MDC took charge of recruitment, the airport was tasked with obtaining the spaceport
license. Officials began the spaceport application process in September 2012. After approval of
the environmental assessment portion of the application on March 21, the FAA had 180 days to
approve or deny the license.
“Tomorrow is a new day and we still have our work cut out for us as Midland makes its mark on
the commercial space industry,” Esterly said via email.
Sikes Johnson – 1962
20. Samaritan Counseling Center Honors Son and Daughter-in-Law of Sikes Johnson
Sikes Johnson was president of our class at MHS all three years. His son Steve and daughter-inlaw Mai were recently honored as family of the year by Samaritan Counseling Center in
Midland.
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Steve and Mai Johnson and children
The Family of the Year Gala honors families from Midland, Odessa, Andrews and Big Spring.
Alexander said the center looks for “families that reflect the values that we try to teach to our
clients each and every day — to be overcomers in their own lives so that the trajectory of their
lives projects the value systems that Samaritan (teaches) as a faith-based counseling center.
“(The Johnsons) are a family that’s overcome some adversity in their lives recently and we
wanted to acknowledge and honor them.”
Mai Johnson suffered a traumatic brain injury 3 1/2 years ago and doctors were unsure if she
would ever recover. Over the years and despite the odds, Johnson has made incredible strides,
most recently transitioning from a wheelchair to a cane after a six-month stint in a rehabilitation
center.
“Life as you know it can change in the blink of an eye,” Mai Johnson said.
“(But) just because it does doesn’t mean that you have to give up hope,” Steve Johnson said. “To
me, the hope is what has kept me afloat. We still have bad days and I still struggle, but what gets
me through those low times is still the hope that we’ll continue to get better.”
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1962
2010
21. What Is It Like to Still Be Employed at 70?
Bob Ittner
What is it like to still be employed at 70? I like being paid! It is only recently that I have begun
to consider retirement. 70 in August was a big birthday as it was the first time it really dawned
on me that “No One Gets Out Alive” - Jim Morrison. Lloyd Smith’s passing got my attention
because he was a good friend growing up. Nonetheless Sheryl Crow has the right attitude “All I
Want to Do Is Have a Little Fun Before I Die.” Actually I want to be like Tom and Judy Wright
who Harley across the nation, go to rock concerts, and play with their grandkids.
The Lion King Circle of Life
When my father died in 2002 one of my friends consoled me by saying it was the Lion King
Circle of Life. And so it is. We have no grandchildren but our middle daughter got married in
September so we think that sometime in the next few years…
“Rust Never Sleeps” - Neil Young
Yes, the body doesn’t work as well at 70. I am reminded of my father every time I look in the
mirror. That is not all bad because my parents lived into their 90’s in good health and were
contributing citizens giving back to the community. My father was still trying to drill an oil well
at 95. My mom had a heart attack working out at the YMCA when she was 93. They both were
active and engaged up until their time came.
“I’ve Been Poor and I’ve Been Rich and Rich is Better” - Ella Fitzgerald
You don’t want to run out of money in your seniority. The conflict is to do things while you can
still do them! I am sure that many in our class are not concerned but the only one I am sure of is
Ferrell Davis!
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“Leave a Little Ham on the Bone” - Darrell Royal
My parents were generous - my father was president of the YMCA when they undertook their
new building back in the late 50’s and was Sr. Warden at Trinity Episcopal Church while my
mom was also active at Trinity. My two major efforts are being Chairman of Archway Academy,
the largest accredited high school in the U.S. for kids who have had substance abuse issues. The
second is riding the MS 150, a two-day bicycle ride from Houston to Austin which I have ridden
11 times to help raise money for research for the cure of Multiple Sclerosis. Great progress is
being made to slow the progress of the disease. It is believed that restoration of functions will be
possible soon. Many of my Midland friends have contributed - Don Patteson, Kathie Virginia
Ross, Ferrell Davis, Bill Gipson, Russell Smith, Suzanne Ellis Gonzales, Larry Prescott,
James Shaddix, Judith Stone Hatten, and Stella “by Starlight” Woehst.
The Gold Standard: Don Patteson told me that he and Paula Wecker Patteson decided years
ago that 10% was going to be the minimum they were going to contribute. Since then they have
made annual pilgrimages to Lourdes, working in the soup kitchen here in Houston, and many
other worthwhile efforts.
“What’s New Pussycat” - Tom Jones - What Next ?
Always reminded of Steve Martin in Father of the Bride trying on his college tuxedo “looking
good” even though the pants were way too short and everything too tight.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Carpe Diem (seize the day ) - my wife’s mantra
Ride in the MS 150 for the 12th time
Bicycle trip in France Fall 2015
Humor - George Carlin - “I went to the bookstore and asked the saleswoman ‘where is
the self-help section?’ She said if she told me it would defeat the purpose.”
Stay connected
Live music
Be around young people
“Stay hungry. Stay foolish” - Steve Jobs
Al McGuire, former coach at Marquette and basketball analyst, “I always want to have
the decision whether to turn right or left. My home is about a half-mile from the
expressway in Milwaukee. I make the decision to turn left which is work, or to turn right
which is lakes, sawdust bars, ham sandwiches, conversation…”
“You Got to Know When to Hold’em and When to Fold’em” - Kenny Rogers
Stop writing before people stop reading.
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22. Who has the Most Grandchildren?
Several people have wondered who in our class has the most grandchildren. We decided to hold
a contest as to who has the most grandchildren and great grandchildren (could anyone have great
great grandchildren?). The prize for the winner is a $75 discount on registration for the 55th
anniversary class reunion to be held in 2017. Anyone who would like is invited to enter the
contest. Send your numbers to either Russell Smith at rsmith@ociwins.com or to Betty Melzer
Moore at bettymoore79701@gmail.com. Both grandchildren and great grandchildren count.
Group photos are welcome.
23. Mutual Detraction
Classmate Larry Pine is currently starring in an off-Broadway comedy named Mutual
Detraction. The play is about two well known writers – Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler –
who collaborated in writing the screen play for “Double Indemnity” in 1943 and spent the rest of
their careers complaining about each other.
From left, Vincent Kartheiser, Sophie von Haselberg and Larry Pine.
A review of the play in the Wall Street Journal can be seen at -http://online.wsj.com/articles/mutual-detraction-billy-ray-at-the-vineyard-theatre-1414117239.
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1962
2012
24. Barbara Lain Camp Inducted into LHS “Wall of Fame”
Barbara Lain Camp was recently honored by being selected to go on the Lee High School
“Wall of Fame.” Camp had the rare honor of winning a state championship in tennis wearing the
colors of both Midland and Lee High. Lain was a sophomore when she started high school at
MHS, and when the schools split in 1961, she went to Lee as a senior. But the change in uniform
did little to slow down her success as a doubles tennis player. Barbara won the 1961 girls
doubles state title with partner Betsy Worden while playing for Midland High, and then a year
later, she won another girl doubles title with Carol Nix while at Lee. “I played for David Kent at
Lee, and he went on to coach at Texas A&M, and he made a doubles player out of me,” Camp
said. “I didn’t lose a match my senior year, and I had a fun time. It was a great experience.”
While Camp’s honors as a state champion tennis player are important, her career after high
school defines her most. She went on to a successful career as a coach and athletic administrator
for nearly 40 years, helping to pave the way for women’s intercollegiate athletics. Camp helped
to start the women’s athletic program at SMU in 1969 and then went to California-Irvine and
finally finished her career at Auburn, where she was an associate athletic director and senior
women’s administrator. She retired from Auburn in 2006. Camp, 70, lives in San Francisco.
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Photo by Betty Melzer Moore
On being elected to the Hall of Legends at Midland Lee High School, Camp said the following:
“One of my greatest honors was being inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame back in
2006, and it’s kind of hard to express what a great honor it is. I had an amazing 40-year career,
and to think it started in Midland is one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I’m
extremely honored.” Popular biology teacher Billy Gilbreath was previously elected to the LHS
Hall of Legends about a year ago.
Hall of Legends
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25. Ralph Keller’s Lost LHS Senior Ring Comes Home after 53 Years
In November 2014 Russell Smith received the following email about a lost and found LHS class
of 1962 ring. Ralph Keller confirmed the ring was his.
Hello Mr. Smith,
My name is Melissa Sisk, and I found your name through the Midland Lee/Midland High Class
of 1962 50th Reunion info online. I grew up in Big Spring, and a friend of my dad found a Class
of 1962 Midland Lee High School ring many years ago, and gave it to my dad. I believe due to
the fact that my parents had lived in Midland for a time, and that my dad had some family living
in Midland at the time, his friend thought he might be able to locate the owner of the ring.
Unfortunately, my dad didn't have any luck finding the owner at the time, and packed it away to
try later--he had forgotten about it until recently. He has asked me to see if I might be able to
locate the ring's owner via the internet.
My parents (who live near Brownwood now) took the ring to a jeweler recently to see what size
the ring is, and the jeweler says it is a men's size 11. The ring has the initials "RRK" engraved
inside.
Note the initials inside the ring
Through a cousin of mine who lives in Midland, I know that there was a Ralph Keller who was
listed as a senior in the 1962 annual, but have not been able to find any kind of email, address, or
contact info for Mr. Keller. I was wondering if you might have any contact information for him-or if you have info that tells us if his middle initial is "R." I am also wondering if there is perhaps
anyone else from that class that you know of with these initials.
I'm sure you can understand that I don't want to put this information--and especially these
initials--out on social media, since there are unfortunately people in the world who would claim
ownership dishonestly--especially since of course the ring is worth a significant amount now.
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Ralph’s Ring
Would you have any information or advice on how I might find this ring's rightful owner? Of
course, if you would be more comfortable to provide my email address to Mr. Keller or anyone
else you think may have lost the ring, I would welcome that as well. I appreciate any info or
assistance you can provide.
Thanks so much for your time,
Melissa (Missey) Sisk
26. Gail Stallings Childress, Richard and Nancy Atchley!
November 3rd lunch in Flower Mound, TX. Good to catch up! Gail Stallings Childress, Richard
and Nancy Atchley!
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27. What’s Going on in Midland
Susan Henderson Askins
Here’s an update on Midland since our last newsletter: The biggest QUESTION FOR 2015: Is
this another Oil Bust?? The free fall of the price of oil has shocked many around the state of
Texas and especially in Midland. Expert predictions vary widely.
Our unemployment rate remains the lowest in the state. The real estate market has been
escalating at a crazy rate. Predictions are that it will slow way down but hopefully not a full
collapse.
The proposed 50+ story Energy Tower in Downtown crashed and burned. Many Midlanders had
expressed opposition and when the developers bailed out, there was little surprise or sorrow.
On the other hand, a new boutique hotel has been announced for downtown. Hotel Santa Rita
No.1 will feature a restaurant, stores, and a gym....all oil related.
The Midland International Air and Space Port is the first commercial airport to have a
"Spaceport"!! And it is licensed as such by the FAA. So it seems Midland is still flying
high! Fly in for a visit anytime.
Wishing everyone a bright and happy 2015.
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28. Ray Savage: Roughneck, Miner, Tool Pusher, Drilling Superintendent, Consultant,
Teacher, Interpreter (English, Spanish, Indonesian, French)
Betty Melzer Moore
)
Ray’s father Hank
Ray Savage 1962
Ray Savage had probably the most unique and unexpected career in our
class. Working mostly in the oil business, he served on three continents in
some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet. He survived attacks by
terrorists and bandits as well as arrest by the Iranian revolutionaries who
drove the Shah out. Known as “Wildass” Ray to most of his international
co-workers, Ray has endured many challenges. His oilfield experiences
consist of 25 years in the United States and 25 years in other countries. He
started as a rough neck at age 15, later working all night and going to class
at MHS the next morning.
Ray was born in Seagraves, Texas May 25, 1943. His mom died in 1945. Ray’s dad Hank and
his step mom moved to Midland in 1953 when his dad went to work in the oil fields. Ray
attended Midland schools from the fourth grade on: Travis Elementary, Alamo Junior High,
Midland High, and Lee High.
Ray’s careers began at the age of 15 when he worked for Kinsey and Hamm Drilling in the
summers. When Ray was a sophomore at Midland High, Dean Mashburn called him into his
office. Mr. Mashburn asked him, “Why are your grades so bad? You have the 7th highest IQ in
your class, and your grades are just awful! You need to improve on that.” Ray knew why he did
not achieve better grades because he was working all night as a roughneck for his father’s
46
company and then going to school the next day. Despite the challenge, Ray graduated from Lee
High in 1962.
Ray married his wife Dorothy, cousin of our classmate Nadine Oaks, in September of 1962, and
they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the time of our 50th reunion. They had 4
children: twin sons- Darrel Layne, an electrician in Midland and Daren Wayne also of Midland
who is a healthcare worker and 1 daughter Katrina Diller who works for the FBI in San Antonio.
All their children are bilingual because they lived in Mallorca, Spain and Iquitos, Peru. Dorothy
and Ray have 1 deceased son who was born in 1974 and died while the family was in Peru.
They presently have 9 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Locations of Ray’s job assignments in the states and abroad:
Ray's locations
Midland, TX
Colorado
Hobbs
Ozarks
Peru
Hobbs
Texas Gulf
Persian Gulf (20 miles offshore Iran)
Algeria, Africa
Majorca, Spain (family lived there)
Northern Spain
Angola , Africa
Venezuela
Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Burma,
Borneo
Papua New Guinea
Midland
Libya
Libya
Mexico Gulf
Mexico (as interpreter)
Midland (presently) Human Resources
year
1960s
19661968
19681970
19701972
19741976
19761978
1978
1979
19791980
1979-86
(8 years)
1983
1983
1996-97
19831994
1990s
19992004
2010
2011
2011
2011
201247
#
1
2
3
4
5
3
6
7
9
8
10
11
14
12
13
1
15
15
16
16
1
2015
Job Locations shown on map
Ray worked in the oil fields as a roughneck in Midland until 1965 when he and his family moved
to Carlsbad, New Mexico. He worked out of Carlsbad for Burns International Detective Agency
and then moved to Colorado and began a new job as a miner. In the sixties and early seventies,
Ray went back and forth from a career of mining to a career in the oilfield. While working in the
mine in Colorado, there were 2 cave-ins, and Ray went to the hospital with a concussion after the
second cave-in. He was trapped for about 8 hours when the hoist broke down. Then in 1968 the
family moved to Hobbs, New Mexico to work in the oil fields once again. However, the oil field
drilling fell off, and in 1970 the family moved to the Ozarks in Missouri where Ray once again
worked as an underground miner. When oil field activity revived in 1972, the family moved
back to Hobbs, and Ray worked as a driller for Maranco Drilling.
Then in 1974 Ray’s international career began as a tool pusher for Parker Drilling in Peru’s
Amazon Jungle. Just getting to the rig required many hours of helicopter and seaplane rides on
the Maranon River not to mention the usual jungle insects, snakes, and miscellaneous critters.
Ray’s family went to the assignment with him and lived in Iquitos, Peru.
The family returned to the states in 1977 to Hobbs and Maranco Drilling. Then In early 1978,
Ray took a job drilling offshore in the Gulf on a Platform/Tender ship for Trans World.
In 1979 he went to work in Iran for a Canadian Company owned by Peter Bawden, and he and
his family were stationed at Palma de Mallorca, an island off the coast of Spain. They lived in
Mallorca 8 years while he worked in the Persian Gulf, Algeria, and Northern Spain and
48
Indonesia. Ray went to the Persian Gulf from Mallorca and
worked on an offshore Rig about 20 miles from Iran. Ray
experienced danger that he will never forget in that year of
1979. The Iranian military blew up the Rig after capturing
nineteen men (who included five
Americans and Five Canadians)
and then placed them as prisoners
on Kharg Island in the Gulf. On the third night (New Year’s Eve) at
the prison camp, all nineteen
managed to escape by
crawling under a barbed wire
fence, and after 5 days later
they reached Bahrain. The
Canadian company took credit for the escape, but Ray
says it was their will to live and escape that saved them.
After this incident Ray became known as “Wildass Ray”.
Note: This was the period of history in Iran that the Shah
was ousted by the military and fled to the US and received asylum. In November the Hostage
Crisis took place at the American Embassy.
In 1980 Ray changed jobs and began working for a company called Son Petrol based out of
Madrid and worked in the oilfields of Northern Spain.
Then for 64 days straight, he went to Angola to fix problems with two rigs there. Once again he
experienced danger. At the time, there was a Communist supported left wing government, and
Western leaning rebels were trying to unseat the government, which was backed by Cuba. He
was almost captured by rebels while on a secluded beach.
With that project was finished, Ray was promoted to District Drilling Superintendent, and he
went offshore as a platform Superintendent on the Deco Ocean Endeavor. Here the Rebels did
shoot up the camp one night. The crew was warned by the cook that they were coming and ran
down to the beach and about a mile up the beach spent the night. That project was finished late
in 1983.
With the assignment overseas finished in 1983, Ray and his family went home to Midland for a
brief time.
From 1983 until 1994 (eleven total years), Ray worked in Indonesia as a Drilling Supt /Area
Manager, and in 1994 he went to Sumatra, Java, Bunya Island and Borneo (Kalimantan). There
he taught Drilling School each evening to company employees on his days off. Next Ray went
to Papua, New Guinea with Parker Drilling as a driller. He went on to work in Indonesia a total
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of 11 years as a Superintendent for PT Murino Jaya Drilling. There were always lots of snakes
and scorpions in the camps, and he was bitten by a scorpion at one of the camps in Indonesia.
After Papua New Guinea, Ray went with his wife to Anaco, Venezuela as Assistant OPS Manger
over a 12-rig project for Justiss Oil out of Jena, La. His last year there, he was sent to Mene
Grande as Area Manager over 5 Rigs. Once again Ray faced dangerous situations. While
working out of Anaco he was chased many times by bandits. The crew had 6 pickups stolen
while he was there and fortunately only 1 man was severely beaten because he resisted.
Ray and his wife came back to the USA in 1996, and he served as tool pusher for TMB in
Midland from 1999 to 2004. Then Ray started working for Big Dog Drilling and was sent on
assignment to Libya. He would stay a month in Malta
and a month in Libya.
The rig was stolen in 2010, and Ray returned to Libya the
day before it was to be taken into Tunisia. He stopped the
sale with the help of a man from Canada, and a friend
from Sudan. The man who stole the rig threatened to
shoot Ray, so the police placed three guards on Ray.
Fortunately the Big Dog’s Libyan man had a friend who
was in charge of the military, and he prevented the rebel
from shooting Ray by telling him if Ray was injured in
any way, he would go to prison and would not leave alive.
After a few days Ray knew he was safe enough to be without the guards.
In Libya during Gadhafi’s era he narrowly escaped when
the rebels who were sent by the landowner’s son came to
their door, and they were captured by a large group with
AK47 rifles.
Ray left Libya then and returned only after their Revolution
in 2011.
Ray went to Mexico as an Interpreter for Deep Water
Resources. Now he stays in the office at Big Dog as
their Personnel Resource person because his wife has
had cancer. Ray worked more than 50 years in oil
industry, 25 years domestic and 25 years international.
He has been to 56 countries and worked in 10. He has
had three heart attacks and feels blessed that only one of
50
those was major. When he had one heart attack, he was in the jungle of Indonesia and couldn’t
get to care easily and was told to chew up some aspirin and to be sure and not lie down. They
told him “If you are alive in the morning, we’ll get you to a clinic.” Most of his other near
escapes were not for medical reasons but from outside threats such as terrorists and rebels.
Ray says he is thankful for his health and good luck and feels very blessed.
Ray has gone from one challenging job to the next through sheer determination and perseverance
and lots of luck. He can definitely claim the valued title of a true “oil man”.
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