Sunday, September 30, 2012

Martin Hill

Martin Hill

Bob Ellis alerted me to the great story in today's Charlotte Observer about our own Martin Hill and his incredible collection of Hollywood memorabilia.
A film has been made called Martin Hill: Camera Man  and will be shown at 5pm Saturday, Oct. 6 at the Modern Film Festival in Kannapolis at the Gem Theater.

Read the Observer article

HERE

Unfortunately, the article mentions something that I was totally unaware of. It mentions that Martin is resting in a Harrisburg rehab center after a stroke on July 3. 

I'll try and get more information about Martin's condition.  -Ed

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/09/28/3562952/a-hill-of-dreams.html#storylink=cpy



Saturday, September 29, 2012

Happy Bitthday Elizabethans

Elizabeth School
As you may have heard, Elizabeth School is celebrating its 100th birthday on Friday, October 26th.  Frank Clontz has been in touch with Lisa Rubenson (whom I assume is the current "Miss Hattie" of our old school and she says they are in the process of putting together a list of folks who want to attend......and she told Frank that an email OR a phone call to the school advising  them of your name and address (and the year you graduated) would be most welcome.  They are compiling a list to send out invitations and zero in on how many people to expect, etc.

The email address is  rubensons@carolina.rr.com

The Phone number is  980-343-5475




Monday, September 17, 2012

Happy Birthday Mr. Gault

By Jerry Gaudet

For those of us who came through Piedmont JHS know Mr. Dickson Gault, who was principal there.
His 98th birthday is on Monday, September 17, 2011. Sorry for this late notice but it's not too late to celebrate his birthday. What's a few days in 98 years?

 Dick is in a connected care facility. Ruth is "legally blind", suffering vision loss because of macular degeneration, but is still able to live in their apartment. Both Ruth and Dick keep plugging away and say they are "trying to do the best they can, under their circumstances". Amen to that! We should all do as much.

 A birthday card and/or an encouraging note would mean a lot to them...

Mr. and Mrs. Dick Gault
6053 Wilora Lake Rd., Apt# 136
Charlotte, NC 28212 By

Saturday, September 15, 2012

AMELIA UPDATE

 As far as I'm concerned, the 75 year old mystery of "What Happened to Amelia Earhart has been solved by  a small, private organization known as TIGHAR (The International Group for Restoration and Recovery.)

 Over the summer, the national press got interested in the story and I believe that it won't be long before you begin to hear a lot more about TIGHAR and Amelia Earhart.

 No, they haven't found the "smoking gun" yet, but as Dr. Thomas King the chief archaeologist for TIGHAR says, most mysteries are solved by a "preponderance of evidence," not a "smoking gun."

Recently, Dr. King, was kind enough to appear with Chuck Langdon and me on our modest OUT OF THE PAST show on Virginia Cable TV. If you've got a half hour to kill......I think you'll enjoy the show. (This is the THIRD SHOW we've done with Dr. King) -Ed


 
"Search For Amelia"- Tom King(Pt 3) - Out of the Past - 2012 from Chuck Langdon on Vimeo.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

AMERICA'S CHARLOTTE'S MOST WANTED

Elizabeth School
So, it’s Elizabeth School’s 100th year anniversary.

I wish I could be there to celebrate, but it’s far too dangerous.

It’s likely they’re still looking for me.




Moving to Washington and changing my name has helped greatly in keeping the law off my back all these years, but it’s impossible to hide forever and I know that day will come when I get a knock on the door and standing there is the head of the Enforcement Division of the Charlotte Teachers Union , the President of “No Crime Left Behind,” and the Armored Division Chief of Political Correctness  who announces, as he puts the cuffs on me, “…the Jig is up.”

 It’s even possible that the Elizabeth School Reunion is itself just a clever ruse to lure me out of hiding.

Obama Care Bill
In a sane world, you’d think that the Statute of Limitations would have kicked in by now, but in today’s world you can never be sure. I’ve heard that on page 7,043 of the Obama Health Care Bill there’s a clause that establishes a new government agency called “Fairness for Useless Old Men” that addresses the fact that Americans over the age of 60 had it too good during their younger years so in the interest of fairness and payback,  all their past transgressions will be re-opened and dealt with using today’s enlightened standards. It may just be a rumor, since no one has actually read the bill, but, I’m not going to take a chance.

My crime happened in either 1941 or 42. I was absolutely fascinated by what I found one day while playing in my friend Earl Pope’s attic. It was a box of .22 caliber bullets, 5 or 6 of which Earl said I could have to show some of my friends in school. I don’t remember who squealed on me, but the word got around pretty quickly that Ed was “carrying.” I didn’t know what the big deal was, but whatever it was, I was feeling kind of heady...you know, pretty special. Never before had so many of my classmates, especially the older boys, paid any attention to me. Now my name was circulating all over the school!

It was a good feeling..for a while.

If the same thing had happened today, I shudder to think how "special" I would have felt;


Swat team

First, the Principal would have called 911, the police then would have arrived and locked  the school down, a swat team would have moved in and demanded my surrender over a bullhorn, handcuffed me, and taken me to jail. After two weeks of psychiatric evaluation I would have been (hopefully) released to my parents to await trial.
After that, probably probation, unless of course they also happened to find an aspirin in my pocket.
Then, no less than 3 to 5 years.




But, lucky for me it happened in 1942, not 2012. My punishment?

I was sent to the principal’s office, where Miss Hattie confiscated the bullets, told me how dangerous they were...and to never do it again.

Then she told me to go back to class..

Being sent to Miss Hattie’s office scared me so bad, I never even went near my friend Earl Pope’s Attic again.

Thank God nothing tragic happened because of my stupidity in bringing those bullets to school.

Everything in this story is true, with only a couple of very slight exaggerations. The scariest one regards the arrival of the "Swat Team." which more and more is NOT an overreaction by the public school system, but in some instances is actually needed. 

What, in my opinion, are also needed are more teachers with common sense...and the permission to use it!


-Ed  (somewhere in Virginia)

Tuesday's LDL


By Jerry Gaudet


The egg-crated carton is not a usual part of Mary Sue's welcome table decoration, but an indication that Letty and Don Nance have come bearing gifts of Don's famous homemade jellies and jams.


Letty and Don Nance






 Letty attests that it is Don's hobby...and we're all so grateful that he would share this treat with us all. Thanks, Don.

Mary Sue and  Jane



 "LDL"s give us a good chance to visit and catch up
with longtime friends... Mary Sue Banks Burnett and Jane Thornhill Cobb found this to be a good time to do just that!





Neil



And Neil Jones came up from Anson County to be sure our proceedings were in proper order... We are sure that Neil found everything to be in good order.





 We look forward to additional classmates and guests joining us. Come give it a try. "LDL" is always on the second Tuesday of each and every month...the next "LDL" being Tuesday, October 9, 11:30 at JIMMIES.

-JG

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

LDL this Tuesday? Stop thinking about it, and just DO IT!




A brand new school year has started and I challenge all of you to deny that you haven't thought, at least once recently, of that day 61 years ago when we first entered those hallowed halls of learning nestled on the banks of  Sugar Creek.

It was appropriately named Central High and in my opinion much more "central" to the life of Charlotte than any school had ever been...and would ever be again. Central's Friday night football  games were city wide events. The plays, the talent shows....drew from people all over town.

It was the BIG TIME!

Well......OK.....maybe almost BIG TIME!

However, there's no doubt that the three of us, (the city, the school and the Class of 54) all grew up together. And what a ride it was!

Also, what is unquestionably TRUE is the fact that Central High School was full of some of the finest people in these United States!

At one time the city fathers were going to erect a sign over the entrance proclaiming, either "THROUGH THESE DOORS PASS THE FINEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD,"  or the initials " BPOE," (Standing for BEST PEOPLE ON EARTH);  however, the plan was scrapped when they discovered that the ELKS CLUB or Stanley's Drug Store, I forget which, had beat them to it.

This is your chance to meet up with some of these winners again, a few you may not have seen for 61 years!


Jerry Gaudet REPORTS:


This month's "LDL" (Let's do lunch) will be held on Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 11:30 AM at "Jimmies" in Mint Hill. 

 We hope you'll join us. Spread the word! Invite other classmates to come!

 Even better, bring someone with you! Be sure YOU, come! 
                                                                                  
                                                                                   -JG


Finally, I would advise all you WILDCATS not to wait another 61 years.    As one of our Miss USAs said one time,

"I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever,"

- Answer by the winner of the Miss USA contest in the early 90's

-Ed