The Summer of 1967, Wedding Anniversary, Camp Ney A Ti and the last White year at Gaffney High
Wave of nostalgia and memory has overwhelmed me trying to place my history on the timeline of the evolving events of the Vietnam War Ken Burns PBS series. Yesterday on the front porch some history fell out on the concrete as my cat had been whittling away at a box for about a month now.
It was the obituary book for my Grandmother Mary Alice Helton Fox and Papa WD Shorty Fox. But it was the Anniversary Book that overwhelmed me. There were tributes by all their six children and several grandchildren including my 14 year old self as of May 18 of that year.
Eventful year for me. I was a chubby fellow with a big smile finishing the 8th grade. I remember the last day of class as I got out a day early and Ms Frances Clary, my attractive 8th grade social studies teacher walked me into the hall to meet my Dad who had come with the family and car packed to scurry down 85 on the road to Miami Florida for the Southern Baptist Convention.
I saw Billy Graham and the actor Gregory Wolcott there; maybe Anita Bryant. Saw Billy Gee up close. Walking to the hotel that night past a strip club with the door open and could hear the Baptist Preacher's Daughter Aretha Franklin singing R E S P E C T on the sound system. My Dad told me not to look in there.
We drove to Rome Georgia in two days and got in late Friday night. I had to stop on the Kingston HWY cause my 7 Krystal hamburgers in Marietta started talking to me about 7 miles before Nanny and Papa's facilities on Morrison Campground Rd. The next day was the anniversary.
I am gonna post some of the tributes at the Helton Family History site. Distant Cousin Brad Fullington, a first Cousin of the Colorado Rockies Great Todd Helton, who was Peyton Manning's backup at UTenn, is running for US Congress. So this Family history is going straight to Congress as Brad frequents that board.
Late July I of 67 I was on a bus at 7 am in Spartanburg SC to go to Camp Ney A Ti representing Gaffney SC with my friends Cleve Hamrick, Mike Frances, Tom Jones and myself. Frances died two years ago. He was a character. Cleve was the Little league Homerun King who evolved into a golfing force in High School, still a challenge in his 60s on the courses of Cherokee County and Tom Jones had a run as class presidents and Student Body President our Senior year.
Raised strong Baptist, he became a Catholic and his Brother Latter Day Saint.
In August I was marching 6 to the five for the Gaffney High Band. Military style like Texas A and M. The next year we integrated and I was doing the Granard High Step with my eyes darting at the great legs of --will have a name for you soon, one of the prettiest colored girls I had ever seen. She caught me lookin a couple times and said Martin didn't die so you could gander.
But that was a year away.
8th grade was a transition and the memories were overwhelming yesterday on the porch.
It was the obituary book for my Grandmother Mary Alice Helton Fox and Papa WD Shorty Fox. But it was the Anniversary Book that overwhelmed me. There were tributes by all their six children and several grandchildren including my 14 year old self as of May 18 of that year.
Eventful year for me. I was a chubby fellow with a big smile finishing the 8th grade. I remember the last day of class as I got out a day early and Ms Frances Clary, my attractive 8th grade social studies teacher walked me into the hall to meet my Dad who had come with the family and car packed to scurry down 85 on the road to Miami Florida for the Southern Baptist Convention.
I saw Billy Graham and the actor Gregory Wolcott there; maybe Anita Bryant. Saw Billy Gee up close. Walking to the hotel that night past a strip club with the door open and could hear the Baptist Preacher's Daughter Aretha Franklin singing R E S P E C T on the sound system. My Dad told me not to look in there.
We drove to Rome Georgia in two days and got in late Friday night. I had to stop on the Kingston HWY cause my 7 Krystal hamburgers in Marietta started talking to me about 7 miles before Nanny and Papa's facilities on Morrison Campground Rd. The next day was the anniversary.
I am gonna post some of the tributes at the Helton Family History site. Distant Cousin Brad Fullington, a first Cousin of the Colorado Rockies Great Todd Helton, who was Peyton Manning's backup at UTenn, is running for US Congress. So this Family history is going straight to Congress as Brad frequents that board.
Late July I of 67 I was on a bus at 7 am in Spartanburg SC to go to Camp Ney A Ti representing Gaffney SC with my friends Cleve Hamrick, Mike Frances, Tom Jones and myself. Frances died two years ago. He was a character. Cleve was the Little league Homerun King who evolved into a golfing force in High School, still a challenge in his 60s on the courses of Cherokee County and Tom Jones had a run as class presidents and Student Body President our Senior year.
Raised strong Baptist, he became a Catholic and his Brother Latter Day Saint.
In August I was marching 6 to the five for the Gaffney High Band. Military style like Texas A and M. The next year we integrated and I was doing the Granard High Step with my eyes darting at the great legs of --will have a name for you soon, one of the prettiest colored girls I had ever seen. She caught me lookin a couple times and said Martin didn't die so you could gander.
But that was a year away.
8th grade was a transition and the memories were overwhelming yesterday on the porch.
posted by foxofbama | 8:37 AM
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