Well, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for a most wonderful and
nostalgic trip to Texas and HOME and a 50th Class Reunion and LHS
Homecoming 2003..
Yes, Dear old Lueders will always be considered HOME even through after
38 years I have now lived the majority of my life in Florida. 37 years
of it in the same house.
On my way out, I was privileged to be invited to spend the night and an
evening with Max and his wife Gayle in their home in Houston and Yep! I
stuck Max with a dinner out on the town.
Carlene (Burkman) Black which is the 1972 graduate responsible for us
having the Lueders-Avoca Alumni Web Site lives very near to where Max
does and so the both of us took time to meet Carlene and visit with her.
Carlene has worked hard and took on some financial responsibilities to
provide the LHS Web Site and I ask each and everyone to sign up and
become part of it.
NOTE: All of the 53 Class Members have - The Class of 54 has only Glenn
Commons registered
Lee and his wife Eddie had invited me to stay with them during the time
I was at Lueders and I did take them up on their offer the first 10 days
I was there. Lee gave me the choice of living in their house or a nice
Motor Home they have and I choose the Motor Home because it allowed me
to not bother them with the hours I would be keeping.
A most enjoyable evening at Lee's was when they invited his Mother
Louise over for dinner and Lee's youngest daughter was there. Lee cooked
up a mess of fish, shrimp, hush puppies and we ate like pigs with lots
of fine conversation and a few lies..
I did keep some odd hours doing all the nostalgic things I had wanted to
do. Carol met me one day over at Aspermont and we located the dam we
took the Henry-J off of the day we tricked Coach Howard into taking the
Henry-J to the Softball - Volley Ball tournament we played against
Aspermont.
For years we have wondered if the Dam was as high as we remembered it
as kids. Homer, Carol and I had some differing opinions but, after
looking at the dam Carol and I decided it was about as we remembered it
which turns out to be about a 100 feet high counting the sloping
distance of about 45 degrees.
Didn't matter the height. What mattered was we did cut them off and
catch the car load of Aspermont girls we had been chasing. So much for
the Dam Story. But, it was an enjoyable afternoon, just two long ago
side kicks reliving their youth.
We also took a tour of the Aspermont School grounds. The old High School
and Gym are still there but, they have built a fairly new High School
which was interesting because it is mostly underground with only about 3
or 4 feet sticking above ground. Carol said, this was done to make it
tornado proof for the kids.
Another trip one afternoon was Lou and I went out to my Dads old Oil
Lease were so many of the guys have helped me drain the water and oil up
the old Black Bear engine on many many a day.
Lou and I came back by the Lueders Cemetery and drove through it. But,
we won't mention the Cemetery Story here. Amazingly, Homer with great
restraint I am sure, managed to not tell it at Homecoming.
Sunday, the day after Homecoming, Homer, Torchy and myself drove over to
Nugent to look around and also drove across the Fort Phantom Dam and
looked all around the Old Fort itself.
Homer left for home around 11:30 AM. I made it to the Baptist Church in
time to eat lunch with them in celebrating their 100th year. Carol,
Kenneth, Ernestine, and Lou were there for lunch and I made 5 from the
Class of 53. I did apologize to Minister Harold Barnes for eating
without listening to his sermon and he said I was forgiven.
That afternoon after stopping by Albany and visiting with Monte Nell,
Lou and I went on to Ranger and spent the evening eating home cooked
hamburgers with Novella Edwards and her husband. You know, I forgot to
harass her for missing our reunion. (We took pictures at Novella's and
we will do them later)
The next day Monday October 13th I went out to Plains, Texas and visited
my 75 year old sister Eileen and her husband. They have a son (My
Nephew) living in Lubbock and we went over there for an evening with
them and also to fulfill another of my planned side trips.
As most of you know Albert McCurdy was a member of our Class until our
Freshman year when the McCurdys moved to Cisco. AND most of you know
that after Cisco they moved to Abernathy, Texas which is about 15 miles
North of Lubbock.
Most of you know about Albert and his death in 1965 at age 30. Cecil
died on September 4, 1984 at age 74 - You probably are not aware I
visited with Mary Ellen in July of 1985 and we stayed in touch for
several years afterwards. However, her hearing got to be so bad she
could not understand me when I would call on the phone and not being too
good at writing we lost contact after some years and I been wondering
what happened to her, figuring she had died or was in a nursing home
some place.
I wanted to find out and the best way to do that was go to Abernathy, so
when we went to Lubbock we also ran on over to Abernathy.
Mary Ellen only died this past December 22, 2002 which was less then a
year ago. I was kind of surprised and wish now I had made more of an
effort to keep in touch with her.
All three of them are buried together in the Abernathy Cemetery and I
did go out and visit their graves and took pictures which I will make
available for those interested at a later date.
Albert had 2 boys and a girl and I did obtain a phone number of a lady
who is suppose to be able to get me in touch with them so if I succeed
in doing that and anyone is interested I will let you know.
I made 802 pictures from the day I left until I returned and while I am
sure the majority of them hold no interest for most of you, I will make
those of our reunion and homecoming available on the Web Sites as soon
as I have time.
I did take several photos of downtown Lueders and will probably post
those on the History Section of the LuedersAvoca Web Site.
Being gone 26 days got me behind on lots of things like mowing and bill
paying but, mostly I need time to just rewind my spring.
If there was any sadness to the trip it was realizing far too many folks
are no longer alive and still living in Lueders.
Depressing as the houses and business buildings are in Lueders, they are
all reminders of a great time in growing up.
James Ray mentioned something I whole heartily agree with and that is,
growing up in Lueders taught us a work ethic practically unknown in
today's world. AND there is nothing wrong with that.
Having both classes together with our teachers of Troy and Pat Denham
there to join us was a very pleasant experience and the only sadness of
our 50th Class Reunion on Friday was that all our classmates and
cherished friends did not make it.
Rayleen made us all neat badges using our 1953 Class picture and
Ernestine provide us with sweet smelling favors in our School colors.
The Cliff House dinning room looked like a LHS Banquet Hall thanks to
the Black and Gold Table Decorations and other Arrangements provided by
Paula Sue.
AND, let us not forget Barbara for providing us with the Book Markers or
Carol for providing us with the Organ Donor Cards & Pins.
Saturday at homecoming provided another memorable day and Thanks to Max
and the Class of 53 it was one the school shall now have a rough time
ever forgetting.
And we should also not forget the great boast the scholarship fund got
from James Ray and the Class of 54.
I have always known that the Class of 53 and 54 was the two best classes
to ever graduate from LHS and if anyone doubts that they can either ask
me or just look around for a while.
So much for the glory song.
I left for Florida Saturday morning at 10:30 AM and pulled in my drive
way in Florida at 8:30 AM Sunday. 1365 miles in exactly 22 hours. This
was the first time in my 38 years of driving between Texas and Florida
that I ever drove it non-stop.
Interestingly it had been about 1500 miles going out. The difference was
I used I-10 coming out and went back I-20.
I was gone 26 days and drove a total of 4,937 miles. Not much compared
to what an 18 wheeler does. But, at our age one usually longs for his or
her OWN bed after a few days on the road.
All of you must have showed me a good time because not once from
beginning to end did I ever LONG for MY bed and in fact was even
reluctant to head home.
So, let me say once again THANKS to all my classmates and cherished
friends for a wonderful time at our 50th Class Reunion and Homecoming
2003.
I will let you know when the pictures have been posted to the Web Sites.
- Here's 2 for starters
Love to you all and may our best years be before us. - E. Ray
* * *
[ Lueders-Avoca Site ]