50th Reunion Photos

Some photos taken at the 50th reunion are now available. In the left column of this screen, you'll see multiple links to the photos. Once you get there, click on "Slideshow" to see larger versions of the photos.

50th Reunion Note 2

Here's a link to the video produced by Jim K for the reunion:

     Tuscaloosa High School 1962 - Memories

50th Reunion Note 1

I believe our 50th Reunion was a success. I'll be posting random things as they come to me. The first is a picture of the huge Black Bear logo provided by Linda W. D. It's pictured here in front of Mary George's house. It got much use in photos there and at the Saturday night function.

Thanks, Linda, for the logo and thanks to Mary George and her crew for the outstanding lunch.

Events of Past 50 Years

Note from blog editor: Richard submitted the following post for our class personal history site at http://blackbear62.wordpress.com. I thought it was also appropriate for this general purpose class blog.

BLACK BEAR PRIDE

Black Bear pride lives on! It's been 33 years since Tuscaloosa High School (THS) closed; obeying a 1979 federal court order to desegregate the Tuscaloosa City Schools system and which also mandated that no new school in Tuscaloosa may ever take the nickname Black Bears. Perhaps no mascot is as beloved and it's not hard to spot Black Bears stickers that grace vehicles, boats and homes. Occasionally, on shadowy, crisp and cold autumn nights at Denny Stadium one can still hear the thunderous cadence of Director Tommy Hamner’s THS Million Dollar Band and glimpse the images of the formidable 1962 Black Bears; Jimmy @195 lbs, Jim, John, Jon Rey, Charles, Danny, Buddy, George, Eddie, Scotty, Ralph, Jerry, Morris, William and Lester lining up in Coach Henderson’s fierce offense commanded by Bobby and dogged ‘Red Dawg Blitz’ defense led by Billy cheered on by Margaret, Beppy, LuLu, Mahaska, Lyn and Katie Lou. Or on frosty winter evenings walking by Foster Auditorium listen for the drumbeat of a basketball and the faint squeaking of Chuck Taylors as Clyde, Tim, Ernie, Charles, Paul and Eddie lead the Black Bears at the Bama state Tournament running Coach Tarleton’s vaunted ‘shuffle’ offense.

THS graduates gushed out of Foster Auditorium fifty years ago filled with wide eyed eagerness, energy and anticipation. Since then the Class of 1962 has accomplished much and is forever indebted to the teaching/examples of mentors such as; Ms. Joy Box’s (three-sentence paragraphs), Ms. Marion Smith’s (mathematical exactitude), Coach Tarleton’s (commitment to winning), learning life lessons on Science Teacher Charles Findlay’s pig, hay and straw farm, Coach Danner’s paddle, Coach Pete Pierson’s Shop Class, (“A place for everything and everything in its place”), Principal Hal Greer’s fair discipline, Mr. Tennis Jackson’s pride in maintaining the THS Facility as the Building Engineer and Ms. Althea Gardner’s dedicated cafeteria work ethic, and great Chili & Cheeseburgers. Being well-prepared we were launched from Foster Auditorium to live and witness incredible history including:

1962 U.S. President John F. Kennedy announces the existence of Soviet missiles in Cuba
1962 Later Soviet Union leader Khrushchev orders their removal.
1962 UN General Assembly passes a resolution condemning South Africa's apartheid.
1962 U.S. Mariner 2 flies by Venus first probe to transmit data from another planet.
1963 South Vietnamese Ngo Dinh Diem is assassinated
1963 US President John F Kennedy assassinated.
1964 & 65, 73, 78, 79 University of Alabama, National Champions, Coached by Paul 'Bear' Bryant, also winning in 1961
1964 Civil Rights Act passed in US.
1964 US become heavily involved in Vietnam War.
1967 First human heart transplant performed in South Africa.
1968 Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated.
1969 Neil Armstrong becomes first man to walk on Moon
1970 Classmate Larry Stallings killed in Viet Nam.
1974 Watergate Scandal - Richard Nixon resigns as President.
1975 US leaves South Vietnam.
1975 Ed Roberts introduced personal computer, the Altair 8800.
1976 Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs released the Apple I computer.
1977 Elvis Presley died at Graceland on August 16.
1979 Central High School formed by Tuscaloosa and Druid High.
1979 Federal court orders no school in Tuscaloosa may take the nickname Black Bears.
1980 John Lennon shot.
1986 Chernobyl nuclear power station explodes.
1989 Berlin Wall demolished.
1991 Operation Desert Storm (17 January – 28 February)
1995 Microsoft releases the Windows 95 operating system.
2000 George W. Bush Elected President (Bush vs. Gore).
2001 9/11/01 World Trade Center, Pentagon, Shanksville 2,985 people killed.
2001 Operation Enduring Freedom, War in Afghanistan.
2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom March 20, 2003 to December 18, 2011.
2004 Tuscaloosa High School built in 1954 for $2,264,993 is demolished.
2005 Hurricane Katrina.
2006 Pluto declared not a planet.
2006 Hussein hung in Baghdad.
2009 Coach Marion Columbus “Pete” Pierson died January 19.
2010 Barack Obama becomes president.
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
2011 Attempted assassination of Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
2011 Thomas J. Tarleton, age 82, of Tuscaloosa, died April 1.
2011 Marion Wright Smith died in Huntsville, AL on December 24, 2011.
2011 Arab Spring - Egyptian Revolution of 2011 begins in Egypt,
2011 Final Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery.
2011 Fidel Castro resigns from the Communist Party of Cuba.
2011 Osama bin Laden is killed.
2011 The world population reaches 7 billion inhabitants.
2011 April 27 Tornado devastates Tuscaloosa
2012 Crimson Tide wins BCS National Championship.
2012 Tuscaloosa High School 50th Reunion, June 1.
2012 Transit of Venus (between Earth & Sun) occurs on June 6, 2012. This is a rare event the next pair will occur in 2117 and 2125.

50 years ago the war in Viet Nam was fomenting Vice-President Lyndon Johnson, in a speech, referred to Army Specialist 4 James T. Davis, Livingston, Tennessee killed by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) as the first American Soldier to die in Viet Nam on 22 December 1961 and 58,147 were to follow. One of our own Larry Stallings was killed 12/01/1970. Many of our classmates, friends and relatives have served in the Rangers, Special Operations, Infantry, Artillery, Corps of Engineer, Signal, Logistics, Marines, Riverines, Medical Corps, Air Forces, Intelligence and Engineering in military and civilian capacities there and in Desert Storm/ Afghan war/Operation Iraqi Freedom and elsewhere in the world.

Out of the THS class of 1962 three hundred and thirty-eight (338) sixty-one (61) 18% have passed. Today, age 70 is now the new 50! There are many exciting things to look forward to in the next thirty years! Three nascent sciences, gene therapy, stem cell use and nanotechnology, will come of age. When combined they hold the promise of curing nearly every thinkable illness. Stem cells can be used to repair damages in organs and tissue, or to simply replace faltering organs. They will soon obviate the need for organ donors. Nanotechnology processors so small that they can be injected into your blood stream in billions to repair and regenerate tissue as it degenerates, enabling a continuous rejuvenation of all organs. Gene therapy which can take both a proactive and a preventative nature. Upon analyzing your deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), your doctor will have the ability to change or fix the relevant chromosomes. Most forms of cancer, Heart disease, Arthritis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s will be cured.

In regard to technology the Internet will outreach televisions in the US. Masdar City being constructed in the United Arab Emirates will be the first sustainable zero-waste, zero-carbon city. Scientists will resurrect the Woolly Mammoth – Extinct for 5,000 years, new technologies will allow cloning of the DNA of the Wooly Mammoth. Lunar Tourism Emerges – A company called Space Adventures will sell the first tickets to the moon. The New Horizons Pluto Probe Arrives on Pluto – Will transmit pictures back from the icy planet, 4 billion km away. Holographic Versatile Discs or HVDS Replace Blu-Rays – It’s possible that solid state memory may make this technology useless, even though each disk will hold as much data as 200 DVDs. Computers Break the Exaflop Barrier - That’s 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 calculations per second.

LightPeak technology will take over USB 3.0, and provide upwards of 100 gbit/s transfer rates.LightPeakis the code name for a new high-speed optical cable technology designed to connect electronic devices to each other. Through stem cell research, any acute spinal cord injury will be able to be treated and cured. The International Energy Agency Fusion Reactor will be switched on providing an almost infinite amount of clean power for the world. Through Brain Machine Interface Technology you will be able to text message simply by thinking. Nanotech Clothing and Carpet will be mainstream providing self cleaning carpets, as well as completely waterproof clothing made possible by nano technology. Secure Digital Cards will be available with 1 Petabyte of Data.

Vertical farming will become mainstream with skyscrapers filled with vegetation helping alleviate world food shortages. Wireless Electricity is Mainstream and all electronics will have an antenna and get their power from a single electrical node in the center of one’s home. Human Like Artificial intelligence that mimics that of man becomes available. TeraBit Internet Speeds Emerge. Weather Forecasts become 99.9% accurate. Finally a Man will step foot on the Mars. Internet 4.0 Emerges and everyday Appliances, Cars, and other items will be connected to Internet. Devices with 100 Gbit/s Transfer Rates will emerge. Human Brain Simulating Computers Emerge with computers capable to simulating a human brain and the step towards Cyborgs. Immortality Coming Close to Reality –as technology progresses we may be able to extend the average human life by an additional year or more for each year of additional research.

In addition to all of this progress in the words of our Legendary THS Class of 1962 Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist, Producer and former Muscle Shoals Sound Lead Guitarist the late Eddie Hinton's song ’Everybody Needs Love' from his album, Letters From Mississippi, “…. there are sunsets we can cry over, put our troubles on the run but more than all these miracles above, oh people, we got love everybody needs love love love………………”

Dedicated to our Classmates, Teachers, Coaches, Friends and Relatives that have passed on.

Richard de la Menardiere, THS 1962, 204 Sandbridge Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23456

H 757 513 1790

Classmate Personal Histories

We have established a new site where classmates can publish their personal histories. Check it out and add yours!

Read the "About this blog" information to find out how to read the histories and to add yours.

THS Class of 1962 Personal Histories

Tornado Info

Here is some information regarding the tornado in Tuscaloosa. We are following our policy of not publishing full names for privacy issues. If a classmates wants more specific information, he or she can email us. Click on "View my complete profile" in the left column to get to an "Email" link.

Classmates Suffering Losses

1. Melvin V has lost his home. The Wood Manor subdivision suffered severe damage.
2. Bill T’s home was damaged but still habitable.
3. Jon Rey S's cousin, Kay (Class of ’65), lost her husband and home.
4. Ralph Q's home and property suffered significant damage but they are still able to live there.
5. Diane D. F’s lake house near Huntsville where they stay about three days per week suffered heavy damage.
6. Mary Evans W. S's daughter lost her home in the Forest Lake area.
7. Other classmates lost rental property.

Class Luncheon - May 21, 2011

A class luncheon is scheduled for May 21, 2011, 11:00 AM, at Wintzell's Oyster House in Northport. If you did not receive a notice via email, contact the committee for more info and to RSVP. The email address below is intentionaly disguised to try to avoid spam: blackbears1962 followed by @ followed by aol.com

Yes, we're still here!

We have not received any new information for the blog in a while so this post is just to let you know we're still here.

Feel free to send any kind of info--

• Pictures (or links to them)
• Personal updates
• Memories

See you on June 1, 2012.

65th Birthday Luncheon Pictures

Richard Hamner has provided us with a set of pictures taken at the 65th Birthday Luncheon held in Tuscaloosa in March. Just click here: 65th Birthday Luncheon Pictures.

Thanks, Richard.

Classmates, send us more pictures to add the the slide show.

We Need Photographs

The few photographs in our slideshow have been recycling all by themselves for months now.

Send us at least one favorite.

What's He or She Doing Now?

It seems that life has taken interesting twists and turns for most all of us. This post is going to serve as a header for a series of attached comments where each comment highlights a different classmate.

We don't mind being commercial here. If you've got a business you want to talk about, let us know. I've already purchased products from the business discussed in the first comment.

Attach a comment to this post or send an email by clicking on "View My Complete Profile" in the left sidebar. You can talk about anything you want. Tell something about what you're doing as long as it's legal and moral!

Or, tell us something about a classmate who's into something interesting.

50th Reunion - June 1, 2012

Mark your calendars for the 50th Reunion starting on June 1, 2012!

The Tuscaloosa-based Reunion Committee has begun to work on making this a great reunion weekend. They need your ideas. You can document your ideas by adding them as comments to this post or you can send emails by clicking on "View My Complete Profile" in the left sidebar.

By the way, we had a great 65th birthday luncheon in Tuscaloosa on March 28, 2009. Thanks to the committee for making this happen.

Great Tuscaloosa Pictures

Thanks to Charlene Clary and Richard Hamner for sending this link to another blog.

Tuscaloosa Beach Music

We need more posts, comments and pictures!

More THS History

One of the things that triggered the creation of this blog was the email from Richard Hamner in which he remembered many things related to the street now named Black Bears Way.

Richard has provided more details about our history in the post below.

****************************************************

To my classmates:

I blog, therefore I am.

Ask not what your blog can do for you, but ask rather what you can do for your blog.

I'm blogging! (Is this something that I need my parents' permission
for?)

I decided to use "Richard Hamner" as my blog pseudonym (blog-o-nym?) I thought about coming up with something like "Soapman" or "Bubbles", but I decided to stick with something a little less cryptic. I also thought about using something like "Jim Stringer", since he is one of the people I admire most, but that smacked a little of ID theft, so I decided against it.

So it is "Richard Hamner", with all warts and neuroses thereunto appertaining.

Your self-appointed historian has been busy doing his homework. I met Shirley Lollar, who is the archivist for the Tuscaloosa Board of Education, and she helped me fill in a few gaps on the history of THS, and here is the short version.

Before 1885, education was conducted in private homes and some churches. In 1885 the state legislature decreed that the "Tuscaloosa Graded School System" be established for the purpose of public education.

The first building for the little white chirren was the old Stafford School building (which was built that year I think - I am getting a web link to the whole archive thing soon). Black students went to school in the old Zion Church and Masonic Hall. I don't know where that was or is - anybody know?

But from 1885 to 1890, all grades went to school in Stafford School. That building was ultimately torn down and the land was used for the Stafford Hotel. I actually remember being in the old Stafford School building, which was Stafford Elementary school by then. I am sure some of our classmates went to elementary school there.

In 1890, a "High School Department" was established in Stafford School, so I guess we can say that THS started in 1890.

The High School was moved to the new building at Queen City and 10th Street in 1910. That building became the Junior High School in 1925 when the new building on 21st Avenue was occupied. (Built in 1924, which you can see over the doorway, but not occupied for classes until the fall of 1925.) I am still trying to find out when the 1910 building was torn down.

Then the building on 15th Street was built in 1954 and occupied for classes in 1955. The building on 21st became the Junior High School (where we went to Junior High) and ultimately the Board of Education office.

In 1979, Central High School was established with the West Campus (old Druid High School) housing ninth and tenth graders and Central- East (old THS on 15th Street) housing 11th and 12th graders.

The new building was built on 15th Street in 2005 (groundbreaking on 2/3/05) and occupied for classes in 2006.

That is the short version. If anyone wants to know who the superintendent was in 1903, I can tell you.

Also, Shirley Lollar the archivist said that the earliest copy of the Black Warrior yearbook that she has was the 1915 edition. I told her that one of our classmates has a copy of the 1914 edition, she almost became incontinent right there over the phone. Also, the 1961 Black Warrior has a picture of the 1911 Yearbook and a picture of the editor that year, and she didn't know that. So Class of '61 and '62 helped the archivist as well as vice-versa.

One final fact: There is a high school named for our classmate Paul Bryant! Has anyone visited it (on Buttermilk Road, built in 2002.)
Yayyyyyy!

Love to all!

Richard ("Bubbles") Hamner

Odds and Ends

This post is a placeholder to which comments can be added that don't fit a broad subject. If a long thread of comments get added on a single subject, we'll add a new post just on that subject.

So, add here random thoughts and memories by clicking on "Comments" below.

One Thing I Learned ...

What's one thing you learned while at THS that has helped you, stayed in your thoughts, been a shining beacon, or whatever, since you left high school?

For me, it's easy - Miss Joy Box's three-sentence paragraph exercises. I'm sure those who took 11th grade English from Miss Box remember these well. I don't claim to be a wonderful writer but whenever I do write, I remember what she taught us and it has helped.

Add your thoughts about a significant thing by attaching a comment to this post. This is not limited to academics. It might be a personal relationship (positive or negative), something extracurricular or even outside school altogether.

So, give it a shot.

Jim

Favorite Links

This post is just to point out the "Favorite Links" item in the sidebar on the left side of the screen. As of today, there are three:

• Official Class of '62 web site where you will find lots of information about our class and scheduled events. This is maintained by Scotty and the Local Class of '62 Reunion Committee. They have done a super job.
• 45th Reunion slide show where you will find lots of photos taken by Jon Rey.
• Alma mater history information with reference to Sara's aunt (this is the Class of '60 site - click on "Our Alma Mater" when you get there).

If you have others you would like to add, send them to me.

Jim

Let's Talk Sports

We've not had much talk about sports, so here's a starting point for discussion about any sport. I've kicked off the discussion by adding a comment to this post.

Jim Stringer
P.S. The best thing I like about the above program is that it listed my weight as 195!

Black Bears Way Ceremony

Allen Apperson provided these photos taken at the street renaming ceremony. The second includes Coach Tommy T. and Mrs. Roberts.

Buildings We Have Known

Blog Administrator's Note: During the discussion of Black Bear Way, a topic was created related to buildings used as THS and TJHS.

Thanks to all for sharing the memories. It has been a joy and a blessing.
And, thank you Jimmy for agreeing to administer the blog. I look forward to reading and reflecting on our wonderful years as Black Bears.

I am pleased that the City of Tuscaloosa has renamed 17th Street between Hackberry Lane and 10th Avenue Black Bears Way and I wish that I could have been there for the dedication. From my perspective the memorial street has been located exactly at the right place; however, others have a different opinion. Several months ago when we first heard that the City was considering this action, I was in a discussion with friends and relatives who are 10-15 years older than we are. It was their opinion that Black Bears Way should have been located adjacent to the old high school building where they attended high school and where we attended junior high.

For many years, Tuscaloosa High School was located in what we knew as Tuscaloosa Junior High. Does anyone know the first year and the last year that Tuscaloosa High was located in our old junior high school building? I assume that the words in our Alma Mater, "underneath the old oak trees" refers to the oak trees at our old junior high building.

When our junior high was Tuscaloosa High, does anyone know where the old, old junior high was located? Stella O.'s father was the coach and physical education director at the old, old junior high. As a five year old boy, I lived one-half block away from the school and coach O. became my friend. He was kind and patient with me as I stayed near him and bombarded him with questions all day while the boys would play softball during P.E. I loved to chase foul balls and occasionally when a foul ball would go down the storm sewer in front of Marjorie M.'s house, they would send me into the pipe to retrieve the ball.

Perhaps like some of you, my long term memory is better than my short. So, I'm looking forward to hearing your stories.

Blessings,

William T.