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James Hamilton, M. D.

Fred Clem

I thought Father Durbin was asst. principal in charge of boys discipline during our days @ BWHS.

Joseph Gentilini

I think you are correct Fred.  Father Durbin. Joe

Michael McLeod

James -- I actually did a brief telephone interview with Charles Schutz once. He was a sweet, gentle man. I was writing a story about unrequited love and I wanted him to share the inspiration for the little red-hair girl that Charlie Brown was in love with -- I knew that there was a real-life crush he'd had as a young man that was the inspiration for it. But at that time he was keeping her identity a secret. I was kind of embarrassed but he was very charming and put me at ease. That strip, the sweetness of those characters - I know I'm not the only one who will always have a spot in my heart for that little world. Just having that brief contact with its creator is a nice memory, and makes me appreciate it all the more. 

Michael McLeod

I suppose I should add as a psa: Sparky -- that was Charles Schultz's nickname -- died of colon cancer. Everybody needs to stay on top of getting scoped.

Julie Carpenter

Have been reading and enjoying all the comments from my classmates. Been wanting to participate but wasn't sure I have anything of value to say. Nonetheless, here I go!

Donna, I so loved going to Smith's Skating Rink. My grandmother lived just a block away from Smith's, and sometimes, when my family visited her on Sunday afternoons, my dad would let us walk down to Smith's and skate for a couple of hours. I wasn't a bad skater, but never really learned how to stop properly! Thank God they had lots of walls and poles to hang onto. Once in a while we had a little extra money for snacks, and I remember eating Smith's potato chips. They came in an over-sized white paper bowl and were kept warm in the dispenser. I vaguely recall Smith's serving some additional treat I craved back then, but I can't remember now what it was! My sisters and I really loved skating.

I also find it interesting that so many of our mothers married into Catholicism. My mother was a Lutheran and converted just before she married my dad. Mom said that the religions were not that different, so her conversion wasn't difficult for her. She, however, did know a lot more about the bible than we ever did. Why is it that so many other Christian religions place such a strong emphasis on bible teachings, but Catholics just pick and choose from the bible? And by "pick and choose" I don't mean that Catholics don't accept and believe in the bible, they just use excerpts for Mass and other religious rites and don't exert a lot of time and effort in general bible studies. Just wonder why. Of course, as children, we went to Mass as soon as we could walk, and were expected to stand, kneel, bless ourselves, etc. as any other Catholic person. So no Sunday School for us--maybe that's the answer! 

Mary Margaret--your old letters discovery made me remember that somewhere in my bedroom closet I have a stache of VietNam-era letters, too. I, too, found it too hard to give them up. Even now when I think of reading them, I remember so much confusion, fear, sadness, love lost, strengthened friendships--wondering if there would ever be a normal time again. And here we are, 50 years later, sharing and strengthening those friendships all over again. Who'd have thought!

Guess I've commented enough for now. Thanks to all for your comments over the last few months. I've truly enjoyed reading them.

Linda Weiner (Bennett)

Tim, don't like to get to heavy into religion here, but I'm not sure I agree with you not having faith. Once you believe, it's hard for me to understand how you can stop believing, because of all the reasons you believed in the first place. I was away from the church for 30 years. I thought I had stopped believing or at least told myself I was agnostic st best. But the truth was I put my beliefs in a drawer and just left them there for a long time. The Holy Spirit was tugging at my heart and head until I got my senses back. It was a tough journey and maybe this is not the place to talk about it, but I know I'm not the only one. I believe there has to be a catalyst in one's life for one to change. Second time around is incredible!  BWY, my hubby converted last Easter after attending Mass with me for 15+ yrs. He said when we had our marriage con-validated, that he, "Never wanted to be married to a Catholic" but now he is one. Just don't underestimate the works & power of the Holy Spirit.  OK, OK I'm coming down now.

Linda Weiner (Bennett)

I agree about the Four Tops! Hear them occasionally on 50's station xm radio in hubby's car. Wow

Linda Weiner (Bennett)

Speaking of OS Fair brings back so many memories. I worked in restaurant under grandstand each Aug-labor Day from 63-65. When the Lovin Spoonful came out on stage I ran through the back door out to an opening to watch for a few minutes. These few minutes of bliss left everlasting memory!

I'm trying to remember what year  the changes were made at the fair and it went from seven days to 10 days, with one price admission for entertainment and maybe all the rides too.  Dave Dunn, can you pull that out of your memory?

Piece about history of the fair:  
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/special_sections/2012/Fair/history.html
 

Donna Kelley (Velazquez)

It's great to hear some new voices on the Forum. Beth, you are right about the wonders of Internet. I remember writing to my family, waiting two weeks for them to receive my letter and then another two weeks to get their reply.  It didn't exactly lend itself to fluid communication and you couldn't even scroll down to remember what you had said or asked in yours! 

Julie, Smith's Skating Rink really was a fun meeting point on Saturday mornings.  Not sure about the special food treat you mention but I sure remember Ladies' Choice rounds and oh that music!

Did anyone take the Teen Model course at Lazarus? Mary Lynne, didn't your friend Dianne from U.A. win the contest?

I have no doubt that all this reaching into the back chambers of our memory is good exercise for the brain.  In any case it is great fun.

Donna Kelley (Velazquez)

It was kind of hard to mix religion and roller skating in one message so here goes another.  

As religion obviously formed an integral part of our upbringing and education there wasn't much room for questioning or doubts allowed.  Do you think that it is "healthy" to question what we were taught, no matter what direction that leads us? 

Joseph Gentilini

There are a few message entries recently, some about not believing anything, some believing some, some within the RCC, some not.  I struggled with my Catholic faith for several years, leaving at one point for almost 2 years.  My spirituality is contained in my book, Hounded by God: A Gay Man's Journey to Self-Acceptance, Love, and Relationship.  Joe

Mark Schweickart

I recommend Joe's book. He and I both put up self-published memoirs on Amazon recently, and what is amazingly different about Joe's is its immediacy. As a young man he was a compulsive diarist, or journalist (as in one who keeps a personal journal), so the life unfolding before us in his book is not one of reflections from 60+ years hence ( as was mine), it was from the time things were actually happening. As for the religious angle, I am one of those who is no longer a believer, and have not been from high school days, so I was less caught up in his struggle and where it went. But for those of you who are still religiously inclined, I think you might find Joe's struggle, of remaining a Catholic while being a gay man, challenging, poignant and religiously satisfying. Here is the Amazon link in case you want to check it out:

https://www.amazon.com/HOUNDED-GOD-Journey-Self-Acceptance-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00CZF8VZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488680534&sr=8-1&keywords=Hounded+by+God

Joseph Gentilini

Thanks, My book seems to be read by more and more Dominican sisters.  Amazing.  Mark!

David Dunn

Julie:  I lived just down the street on Summit near Lane. My dad took me over to Smiths a lot when I was little, there was an "artisan" spring whiere water came out of the ground behind Smiths near the RR tracks. It must have been what was left of the original stream which flowed through Iuka. Then the developer Dick Talbott bought the property and built those apartments which are there now and the spring was capped. In 7th grade I used to go over the tracks into the north lot of the fairgrounds. There were houses back there, and woods where a guy raised and kept pigeons, and a swamp. Used to take fireworks and through em into the swamp and watch them explode. I never went into the rink inteslf though. Linda: It probably was 10 days sometime before I went to work thre fulltime in 1974. I think it was 12 days maybe in 1974, and soon went to 17 days, to "compete" with the Texas State Fair, which was our big rival at the time (as to which Fair was the greatest). Then about 10-15 years ago, it went back to 12 days again; but though the Fair doesnt start until about the last Weds in July, or first Weds in Aug, there are still several days of preliminary showings that arent really in the Fair itself, like for goats, llamas, some horses, etc

David Dunn

Also, over the years they have had to keep backing the Fair up, into a July start and early Aug. end, because of schools early start etc. It used to end on Labor Day every year, but its been 20-25 years maybe since thats happened.

David Dunn

My Dad grew up in the Church of Christ at Indianola & Lane. My moms father was Presbyterian, and her mom was Irish Catholic from ne Canada orginally. When she came of age she remembers that her parents gave her a choice of what religion to be, and she picked Catholic because she liked "all the beauty of it." My dad conversted to Catholicism when he married my mom. So, we went to Holy Name church, and sometime when it was warm in 1954, I remember my mom taking to the church basement of Hoily Name to register for 1st grade. At the same tiem that I was there I remember Danny Barfords mom had brought him to register also.

Julie Carpenter

Dave,  you must have been a neighbor of my grandma--she lived on Summit just south of Northwood. You could look out her front room window and see the skating rink.

Thanks for the info on the fair. I remember when it always ended on the Sunday before Labor Day. I think part of the reason they moved it up was to decrease competition among all the county fairs. Still don't understand why they shortened it. I well remember our vying with the Texas state fair--and I remember all the controversy about inflated attendance numbers. I vaguely recall there being some concern about the fair not bringing in enough money to sustain itself--maybe that's why they shaved off a few days. 

Michael McLeod

It's interesting to see matters of faith brought up at this point.

I was wondering if this group would ever get around to it.

The only thing I feel comfortable saying is in answer to your question, Donna: Yes, it makes absolute sense to question. If you don't ask the question, you're going to spend your life living someone else's answer. 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Michael McLeod

Ah: How like a doctor to call in the specialists.

David Mitchell

Ooooohh, now this IS gettin' good. I wonderd if that first grenade Tim rolled under the door a week or so ago would get something going. What was it you said Tim, "being outside the club"? 

If it's the "club" of a certain denomination, I too am outside that club. I was eliminated about 15 years ago when my local Roman Catholic pastor (a guy I liked very much then, and would still be friends with if he were around) had to deny me the sacraments for marrying again without full complience with all the rules. A hard blow at the time, but it led me to find something I feel much more at peace with. My spouse-to-be confronted me with the question, "which church do you worship anyway?" Smack!  She had me there! 

When Donna made the point about asking questions, I just couldn't resist. Loved your point Donna! (U go girl!) 

If you think back, we were near the very tail end of a couple millenia of people either being kept in ignorance by the church hierarchy (and their society at large), or being ouright forbidden to question their authority. As recently as the 1870's, Catholic residents in the Papal States (who's last few Popes used French and Austrian troops to maintain brutal control - and therefore the tax income) were forbidden to hold office, run for office, be a member of a political party, or even vote. Nor to personally own, or actualy read the Bible. And the penalty was death!  Just think about that - 1870's!

And doesn't that resonate with Julie's comments about her mother knowing more about the Bible than we did? My Dad used to argue over and over with his many priest friends that "our Protestant brothers are way ahead of us in scriptural knowledge." He garnered some sympathy, but a lot more opposition. He was questioning their authority. He was the only Catholic man I knew back then who actually read and studied it so much on his own (and with a few other couples in a Bible study group he and mom had for a few years - w/ Litzingers, Buckleys, McNamaras, Donleys, Greners {as in Grener's auto service and appliances at Arcadia and High back in the day} and a few other couples you might remember).

I think that those of us who saw it as a "club" were often confused over what was essential and what was not. Or we saw a lot of it as outright hypocrysy. We were taught many "Shalls" and "Shalt Nots", but few of the promises contained in scripture. One of the overiding concepts from the good sisters was something like "You had better be good, or God won't love you."  (fear is a very powerful weapon, especially against children). But what if the real message was actually  "You already are good, because God loves you."  (with a love that is amazing, unconditional, and everlasting I might add).  And I think that is what Linda is referring to when she mentioned the Holy Spirit tugging at her heart. He does that to people who thirst - to Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists - (even Anglican for pete's sake! LOL)

I think this misplaced emphasis on what is essentail is a huge issue with our generation, and down though the ages. We put so much "belief"  in objects, symbols, ceremonies (in Latin), church buildings, relics, priests, Popes, Laws, and Dogma, (and did I mention rules?).  And I'll go so far as to submit to you that this drives many people completely away (are you out there Mark? - I get what youre saying).

I think the essential message is simply - God is crazy in love with us, and wishes we could see that He wants a deep personal relationship with us. 

In my new experience, an historic old, and somewhat evangelical Anglican church in the South I have found several interesting things.

First; the basis of this faith is given to us in Scripture, more so than "tradtion" - and we are "allowed" and encouraged to dig into it often on our own - duh, what a concept! You mean I can do it mysef? I mean it's crazy how much good stuff there is in there!  We hear it preached sure, but we study it, and we talk about it often. It's not just a "Sunday thing". I have to say, I don't remember a single bit of scriptural study in school. It was always the History of the Church, or Dogma, or something? (more rules probably). The Book is absolutely crammed full of promises of Joy, and Hope, and Freedom!  Did we ever hear that kind of message in Religion class?  I guess I must have been day dreaming about Paula Massinelli - (or Raquel Welch, or Edie Adams!). (or Lucas and Havlicek)

Second, (and you probably saw this one commin' from aways back), my priests are married men (like the Apostles) with wives, children, (including pesky teenagers), and grandchildren!  Yikes - they get stuff that single men dont even have a clue about! Do they stuggle with life? Does anybody NOT?  But these are some of the most spiritualy alive, yet "real" men I have ever known (or argued over a call on the basketball court with). 

Third; I've never been in a community that is so into ministry to the broken, discouraged, or oustiders - and even to one another. I mean most of the parish - not just a couple of overworked, exhuasted, lonely priests. And not just the loyal "regulars". We are all in this thing together. 

Being brought up very religiously, I've tried to follow right ways all my life, but have struggled with my impatient, skeptical, and rebellious nature. And yes Linda, I drifted for many years too. But I never saw this so clearly until I made my first "Marked Men for Christ" retreat. Simply amazing!  Like I had been living my whole life behind a curtain - thinking all this time I could see okay. Then somebody pulled the curtain away. Wow!   I'm HIS!  And HE'LL be there for me (always has been - alway will)

But thank God, I have also been blessed with the "gift" of sarcasm. (ahem, required for flying a "Loach" in the Delta). I really believe we all need to learn to laugh at ourselves a bit more (No, a lot more). We are all so "correct" and so much "better informed" and so high and mighty. (Us against them - jeesh!)

For those of you still active in a Roman Catholic church, I am not in the least bit trying to criticize your interpretation of this wonderful gift of faith. My Catholic upbringining was a wonderfl gift and I cherish much of it. And, in no way do I consider my point of view to be right vs. yours to be wrong. That's just not how I view this anymore. It's just that the last time I checked, there was still only one God, and He didn't create all this division. We did. 

Before I step down from my pulpit, I'd like to ask if you will please turn now to page 784 in your hymnals, and we can all sing a few verses of "Tequilla Makes Her Clothes Fall Off". 

Life is Beautiful !

Can I hear an Amen?  

Michael McLeod

Uh-oh! Looks like we got a barn-burner going on here tonight!

David Mitchell

Yea, but Mike, in the immortal words of Billy Joel, "We didn't start the fire."

(Or was it Jimmy Crum who used to say "Katie bar the door!" when OSU basketball team was on a roll?)

Michael McLeod

Yes.

I always wondered if it was the barn door.