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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Annual 1966-67 Football Gathering


Each year on December 27th members of the the football team gather in Huntsville to catch-up on their lives and tell war stories about their times at Lee. This year twenty-nine traveled to the event from S. Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. (CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE)

Front L to R: Tim Lull, Bruce Pylant, Greg Patterson, Coach Sam Sullins, Coach Keith Wilson, Carl McCulley, Larry McFarlane. Middle Row L to R: Jim Ramsey (66), Danny Butler, Steve Sumners, Penny Lenoir-Sumners, Mike Recio, Connie Steelman-Caldwell, Harry Richardson, Trena Rice-Powers, Ken Martz (66).
Back Row L to R: Steve Wilson, Steve Stricklin, Jim Jones, Nelson Thompson, Taylor Wright (66), Bucky Hoffmeyer (66), Jim Peters, Tommy Mode, Larry Snead, George James, Jim Ridgeway. (Missing in action 'Ducky' Johnson)

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Who is this 1966-67 LHS Cheerleader?

The 1966 General Football Team held it's annual After-Christmas get together at Gibson's BBQ on December 27th. This former cheerleader was in attendance; Who is she?
Once again :-) Max Kull has correctly identified the unnamed classmate. This former cheerleader is Connie Steelman-Caldwell. Congratulations Max! Is anyone else out there?

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Monday, November 28, 2011

Name that General #7

Congratulations again to Max Kull for correctly identifying a Name That General (#7) as Lynn Ward-Moore. Max is a multiple winner and I told him that he is either our 'class historian' of 'class busybody' :-) 


Lynn was Senior Pastor of Cedar Bluff First UMC. She is an Elder in Full Connection in the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, on leave of absence at this time. She graduated from Jacksonville State University (Political Science), Asbury Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity) and Sylacauga Hospital School of Nursing.

  1. Which one is the real Lee General?


        
         2.  Loved the walk down Oakwood to Lee and home.
         3.  Latin with Mrs. Grilliot was great fun!
         4.  High kicks were a lot easier back then.
         5.  I was in Chemistry with Terri Bratcher.
         6.  Learning the Danish ball routine for basketball game, was fun and relaxing.
         7.   "It is easier to teach wild monkeys to dance than herd cats" was attributed to me in the Senior edition
              of The Traveller.
         8.  All classes were fun, I am one who loves to learn.
         9.  I had a few cousins who graduated in the same class.
        10.  (Sorry, I've been traveling.. now back to the clues)  I loved the Krystal burgers on the square in the middle of school day. 
        11.  Jeanie Browne forgot to tag when we played football!
        12.  There was a time when Penny Slaton was "The Jolly Green Giant," and I was a Native American in the same contest with Terri Bratcher.
        13.  Enjoyed viewing the beauty of seasonal changes on Monte Sano.
              14.  IT was sooo hot and humid when we graduated, because I was in next to last homeroom, my hair was dripping and my grad gown was soaked with sweat (not perspiration). 
              15.  I had a few cousins who also graduated in the class of '67. 
              16.  I went to the prom with Jim King. 
              17.  Two of my neighbors and classmates were Mary Hicks and Diane Canada. 

    Thursday, November 24, 2011

    1977 Reunion pictures













    Thanks to Whitt Singleton for sending these pictures from our 1977 reunion. I hope others will look through your archives and send me some too...

    Saturday, November 12, 2011

    What was the 'Nickname' of this 1966 General?

    Congratulations to Max Kull for correctly identifying the "Nickname" of this 1966 General as "Sugar Bear" Charlie Marx.

    Saturday, November 5, 2011

    The battle over the name of Lee High School is not over

    Tensions ease, for now, after Lee High School name goes back on building

    Published: Saturday, November 05, 2011, 7:00 AM
    Lee High School's name was put back on the facade of the school's new building Thursday, a day after Superintendent Casey Wardynski had it removed. Hundreds of students, alumni and parents protested the school's potential name change. (The Huntsville Times/Dave Dieter)
    HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The battle over the name of Lee High School is not over, but tensions in the city seemed to ease Friday after Huntsville Superintendent Casey Wardynski had the name replaced on the new school building.
    Wardynski Thursday night admittedto making a "gargantuan" mistake by having the name removed before public discussions over a possible name change. He is proposing a change because Lee High and New Century Technology High will merge inside the new $42 million building next fall.
    New Century's 310 students, who transfer from all across the city to attend the high-tech program, are housed at Columbia High in west Huntsville.
    Wardynski, who had the Lee name removed from the new building on Wednesday, ordered the letters put back late Thursday. But the issue may not be resolved.
    He told the audience at a packed school board meeting Thursday night that a committee will be formed this month to help determine how the schools' merger will go. The committee will include parents, school staff, alumni and community members from both schools.
    Part of the committee's task will be to decide if a new name is appropriate and to determine how to honor the history and legacy of both schools.
    Renaming the school would not be easy. About 250 students walked out of class Thursday morning in protest and about 100 students and parents attended the board meeting that night to beg for Lee to remain Lee.
    New Century students are also upset at the idea of losing their school's identity. The school was this year named U.S. News and World Report's sixth most-connected classroom, which is based on a school's technological advances. Newsweek has also ranked it among the top 500 high schools in the country.
    Current and former officials also objected to a name change.
    Randy Hinshaw, former state representative for District 21, said he sponsored legislation to create a special tax district specifically to rebuild Lee. According to the agreement passed by the City Council, that new tax district allowed the city to spend $10 million "toward the construction of a new Lee High School."
    "I like seeing Lee High School on that building," Hinshaw, a 1978 graduate of Lee, told the school board. "That's the commitment that was made.
    "What better lesson can we give people than, 'When you give your word, keep it,'" he said.
    Hinshaw did commend Wardynski on listening to the community and replacing the name. Madison County Commissioner Roger Jones agreed.
    "The mark of a good leader is a person who will listen, who will look for a common ground," Jones said.
    Mayor Tommy Battle expressed the same sentiment.
    "All government today is different sides coming together to find some common ground," Battle said. "I think this decision found some common ground for all parties involved."
    Faculty and parents have also spoken up for Lee. Richard Wilson, a football coach at the school, said he believes it is the most diverse and welcoming high school in the city.
    "There's no black, there's no white, there's no yellow, there's no red," Wilson said. "There are just Lee Generals."
    Rick Presnell said his daughter, who was homeschooled until the eighth grade, attends Lee because that's the school she chose to go to. He said both he and his daughter were "ecstatic" when they learned that New Century would be moved to the school because of the good reputation of the high-tech programs.
    Presnell said his problem with the change was the lack of community input thus far.
    "In order for us to be an informed public," Presnell said, "we have to be communicated with."

    Friday, November 4, 2011

    Letter from Mike Self

    I am a 1967 graduate of Lee High School.
    The school was named for its proximity to Lee Highway (72 east), and yes, General Lee became its mascot and its moniker.

    I also accept that whatever pleas former graduates might make will most likely fall on deaf ears, but it will make us feel better for having made the effort to prevent a mistake.

    There were 448 graduates in our class; the vast majority of us were transplants from all over the country.  In my case our family moved here from Wichita, Kansas.  We did not know it at the time, but as we continued to grow up we realized early on we had had great, great teachers, who along with our parents, instilled a love of learning and life which has carried us through to our current stage in life. 

    We had several graduates go on to dedicate their careers to educating all students, be they black, white, Hispanic or Asian.  As educators we were taught at home and at school to be color blind.  Several of us went on to become Principals, and one (Penny Sumners) was a long-time principal at Lee.  Tim Lull went on to be a superintendent in Alabama and Georgia.  Phil Hastings, Debbie Collinsworth (’68), myself, and Jim Black were all Lee grads and except for Debbie were ’67 graduates, and became principals.  There may be others of whom I am unaware, so I apologize to them for not including them in my letter.

    In my case I went on to complete my doctorate in Special Education and Statistics at the University of Alabama in 1975.  I am completing my 42nd year in education, and certainly have seen school names come and go with no real difference or benefit being derived.  I have taught at the university level (Alabama A&M, and UAH among them), been a classroom teacher in Huntsville, worked in the central office of the Madison County schools, been a building principal for 21 years and even ran for the Huntsville Board of Education and narrowly lost because I did not embrace AEA.


    I have earned my credibility to be heard regarding the possible name change of Lee High.

    For what purpose would the name be changed?

    The only feasible explanation would be that Robert E. Lee speaks to the vestiges of the old South, and the current Lee is currently populated by a majority of black students?  (I have no idea of the black-white student population of Lee, but must assume it is sizeable enough to drive a name change).

    Has Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery changed its name because it is now an urban high school also with a probable minority population?  ( I do not know, am just asking)

    Are students at the current Lee High being harassed or made to feel inferior because of the school’s name?

    If you do not close Butler High School are you going to do away with their Rebel mascot?

    Is it now ok to change personal and community identities and traditions just to be politically expedient and correct?  In 1957, Huntsville celebrated its Sesquicentennial (150) Anniversary, with a population of 12,500.  In 1961 it had a population of 160,000.  What made Huntsville so unique for a Southern town was it retained the very best of its Southern heritage, and yet adopted the German influence, and because of the very diversity of its swelling population became a very cosmopolitan town all wrapped up in one diversified community.  Add to that the remarkable and enlightened leadership of some great mayors and City Council members regarding race relations, Huntsville never suffered the poor race relations afflicting other parts of the country, and not just in the South.

    What grievous wrong will be fixed by a name change?  By changing the name aren’t the thousand’s of Lee graduates now being relegated to secondary status because our traditions and values are being discounted?  That is what this effort would achieve.  Am I, and others, supposed to be ashamed of our educations, affiliations, traditions, and friendships (with blacks and whites)?  Are we saying that blacks graduating from Lee are paralyzed into not developing into successful and productive citizens because of the name of the high school they attended?  Let’s ask Condredge Hollaway, and the many, many other successful black graduates of Lee High School how stigmatized they have been?

    My plea:  Exercise some common sense, PLEASE?

    Mike Self

    A CALL TO ACTION

    November 3, 2011
    "A CALL TO ACTION"


    The Issue: Oppose the intention of the Huntsville City Schools' Superintendent to change the name of Lee High School
    Immediate Action Required:  Contact the Huntsville City School Board Members to urge them to aggressively oppose any recommendation by the Superintendent of Education to change the name of Lee High School
    On November 2nd, the name Lee High School was removed from the new facility by construction crews. The only person who has the authority to direct that action is the Superintendent of Huntsville City Schools. By Law, this authority may only be granted to the superintendent through a vote of the board of education. No such vote has been taken.
    The superintendent has appointed a committee to discuss the feasibility of a name change. This is a prelude to his making a recommendation to the board. Your action is vital to preservation of the name of the school that meant so much to the preparation for life of all of you Lee graduates.
    Attached you will find an article from the Huntsville Times regarding the issue and a copy of the letter that I have sent as well.
    Breaking article: http://blog.al.com/breaking/2011/11/lee_high_school_students_prote.html
    TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTION: 
    Write to each school board member listed below IMMEDIATELY. A school board meeting is scheduled for today at 5:30 in the Annie Merts Center in Huntsville. This is the quickest and most effective method of expressing your views to board members. Also, contact your friends and family and urge them to write as well.
    Casey Wardynski, Ph. D.
    Superintendent

    Laurie McCaulley, President
    lamccaulley@gmail.com

    David Blair, Vice-President
    david.blair.hcs.board@gmail.com

    Topper Birney
    topperb@knology.net

    Alta Morrison
    amorrison_hcs@comcast.net

    Jennie Robinson, Ph. D.
    personalbest@knology.net




    Thursday, November 3, 2011

    NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give in!!

    Huntsville superintendent backtracks on proposal to rename Lee High School after protest

    Published: Thursday, November 03, 2011, 5:50 PM     Updated: Thursday, November 03, 2011, 6:12 PM
    Lee Students Protest
    EnlargeA Lee High School student shows support fro Principal Paul Parvinl during a protest march Thursday morning Nov. 3, 2011. About 250 students took part in the protest march from the current school to the construction site of the new school. (The Huntsville Times/Robin Conn)Lee Student Protest gallery (14 photos)
    Students Walk Out of Lee High School: Nov. 3, 2011Students Walk Out of Lee High School: Nov. 3, 2011HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Lee High School students march to the new school site to protest a proposed dropping of the Lee name. Superintendent Casey Wardynski arrives to speak to students. (The Huntsville Times/Keith Clines)Watch video
    HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Dr. Casey Wardynski, Huntsville's new superintendent, backtracked on his proposal to change the name of Lee High School Thursday night following a day of protest by students, alumni and parents.
    Lee High School students carried signs boasting "General pride" and beseeching the school board to keep the school's name as board members walked into their meeting. It was the second, albeit smaller, protest of the day as students and alumni expressed anger over Wardynski's proposal. 
    Wardynski was considering a name change in conjunction with moving both Lee and New Century Technology High School students into the new facility. 
    Initial reports indicated that hundreds of students might converge on the Annie C. Merts Center. The protest outside fizzled to about a dozen students, though parents and students packed into the board room for the meeting.
    In the end, Wardynski heeded the opinions of the students -- and the school board -- and announced that the words "Lee High School" would be added back to the new school's facade, where they had been removed earlier in the day. Audience members in the board room and in the hallways of the Merts Center cheered.
    "There's been any number of councilman and officials call to inform me that I've made a gargantuan mistake," Wardynski said, to applause from the crowd that made him smile. "Thank you for acknowledging my mistake."
    Wardynski said that while the objectives of the new school is to increase student achievement and give students a bright future, another objective is to be a good neighbor.
    "This is a huge opportunity to affect northeast Huntsville in a very positive way," Wardynski said.
    He explained that while no decision had been made on whether the school's name would be changed, the Lee name would be placed back on the new facility while a community discussion takes place. Board president Laurie McCaulley said intervention by board members aided Wardynski's decision.
    "He listened to his board," McCaulley said.
    Wardynski's plan to move the approximately 300 New Century Technology High School students over to Lee next fall was no surprise. The topic was brought up last month when the superintendent presented the board with his capital plan.
    53 years as Lee
    What sparked the protests was the idea of changing the name of the school, which has remained the same since it first opened in 1958. Wardynski early this afternoon told The Times that no decision had been made on the name change.
    By the time students finished their school day, however, the name had been removed from the new building's facade.
    Wardynski said early today, standing outside of the new building during a student protest, that having the name on the building "presumes a decision has been made."
    "We want to work from a blank piece of paper," Wardynski said.
    About 250 students at Lee High marched out of the old school just after 8 a.m. and toward the front of the new building on Meridian Street. Some carried signs, one a huge piece of cardboard crudely painted with "New School - Not - New Name."
    Wardynski arrived in a car shortly after the protest started. He and Al Lankford, head of school security, waded into the crowd and listened to the students' concerns.
    "When you bring two new schools together you have the question, 'What do you call it? Do you call it Lee High School or New Century Academy or what?' You want input from both schools. We heard from the young adults here today, but we also want to consider the young adults tomorrow, next year and 50 years from now."
    Wardynski said early Thursday that no decision has been made about a new name, in fact, the decision "is six months off." Wardynski eventually convinced the Lee students to go back to class and said there would be no repercussions for the protesters.
    "The young adults obviously have an opinion on their school and we value that," Wardynski said. "I think the way the young folks express themselves is important to hear."
    Others this morning carried signs supporting Lee High School Principal Paul Parvin after hearing rumors Parvin might not be principal of the new high school.
    Students were chanting "Parvin, Parvin, Parvin" during the protest. Parvin, who followed behind the protesters, declined to comment.
    Wardynski said no decision has been made on a new principal for the new high school and did not directly answer questions on the subject of Parvin's future.
    "When you have a new high school you have to put together a new administration," Wardynski said. "He's (Parvin) in the DROP (a retirement program for educators), so he's got to think about what his next steps are, too."
    M'Lynn Medley, a senior at Lee, said she pulled friends into the school's auditorium Wednesday after hearing that the school's name might be changed.
    "If they take away our name, they take away our history," Medley said. "I don't agree with that at all. That new building was built for us."
    "If they take our name away, we have nowhere to come back to," senior Dinsmore Robinson said. "We've got a lot of students who are successful here and won't have a place to come back to."
    "The school has been here 65 years," senior Anthony Cruse said. "And they want to change the name now?"
    "It's just wrong," senior Tyler Nye said. "They didn't change Huntsville High School's name (when it was renovated) did they?"
    Alumni weigh in
    The subsequent uproar has also included faculty, alumni and even a former state representative.
    Randy Hinshaw, who served District 21 from 1994 to 1998 and again from 2002 to 2010, posted a letter to Wardynski on his Facebook page on Thursday.
    The 1978 Lee graduate tells Wardynski that a commitment was made to the community. He said he sponsored and passed a tax increase that allowed the city to commit $10 million to reconstruction of Lee.
    "If, at any time, I knew that the new school would not be named Lee, I would have dropped my support of the bill and insure (sic) that it would not pass," Hinshaw wrote.
    Wardynski renaming proposal came under scrutiny following a Tuesday night Parent Teacher Association meeting at New Century High School. Parents who attended the PTA meeting at New Century also dispute Wardynski's claim that they broached the subject of the name change.
    Melissa Shepherd, who posted on The Times' Facebook page, said Wardynski initiated the discussion. "Wardynski came in and told us that, essentially, New Century would be broken up as a high school, integrated with Lee, and that he had on his own initiative removed the Lee High name," Shepherd said.
    Another parent, Debra Willcutt, said that the name change came up early in the meeting. "Dr. Wardynski started the meeting with questions that had been submitted about the move. To answer the first question he stated that New Century would be merged with Lee High school and that it would be renamed," Willcutt said in an email to The Times.
    Willcutt said parents and students at New Century are just as upset about losing their school's identity as those at Lee.
    "I believe that maintaining both schools at the new Lee High building is still a better solution and can be temporary," Willcutt said. 
    Times staff writer Chris Welch contributed to this report