Honaker High School - Torch Yearbook (Honaker, VA)

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Class Prophecy One cold and dreary afternoon in the year 1972, I found myself millions of miles above the earth. I was waiting for the latest news on the Xenon Bomb, which was due to explode in ten minutes. As my space ship roared through atomosphere, I grew tired and decided to amuse myself. To my left was one of the most amazing solaiivision sets ever perfected. With a tiny touch of + he dial one can locate any place on earth or in space he wishes to see. This marvelous instrument was perfected by the great Don Barrett. Since this was the twentieth anniversary of my graduation from Honaker High School, I at- tempted to locate each of my former classmates in their chosen professions. The first spot wh ich I saw was the well-known town of Castlewood, Virginia; and the Presi- dent of the United States was giving a speech on “What I like about the South.” The president was none other than Nancy Albert. The distinguished guests who were enjoying the speech were Clara Campbell, Mayor of Castlewood, and James Cassell, the foremost historian of the century. Imagine my surprise when I saw Marvin Barton announcing for the Outer Space News Re- view! The small town of Lebanon, Virginia loomed before me, and I saw that the people were cele- brating some great occasion. On a platform I saw John L. Boyd, who wore a sign which said, “Vote for Cox for President.” Nearby I saw Curtis Cox with a sly grin on his face, as he waved to the crowd who had just nominated him Republican Candidate for the coming election. Suddenly I got a glimpse of Swords Creek and Alvin Dye, the famous screen director of Pluto, was helping Paul Honaker and Anna Ruth Combs as they paused in the hit of the century “Super- natural.” Getting ready for appearance was Darlene Stinson, who had replaced the late Patti Page. Then the switches got crossed for a moment, and during that time I saw C. A. Hess riding by on a gravity-controlled motorcycle; and following close behind him was Charles Fogleman in his souped-up-Spaceford with a ticket for C. A. because he was speeding on the Milky Way. Lorene Combs, Froncie Stiltner, and Mary Frances Wheatley were entering the “Miss Solar System” contest which was to be judged by Frank Phillips, a great movie director of Mars. The next scene was Johnny Strouth’s Insurance Agency. He was giving instruction to his efficient bookkeeper, Betty Wilson. Near a crossroads I saw Nellie Coleman and Laura Harris, who were hitch-hiking around the world. They told me they had been to California, Florida, Russia, South America, and Mars. Their destination now was the moon. The next scene was the Governor’s Mansion in Richmond. Imagine my surprise when I saw the wife of the governor. She was our own little Darlene Harris. I switched the dial to Cleveland, Virginia, to the Swanky Shops on Tenth and Elm Streets. Here I saw three beautiful models. They were the most beautiful ones I had ever seen and as the screen cleared I recognized them as Grayce Garrison, Wanda Dye, and Ruth Chambers. The capital of the United States loomed before me and I heard that the President’s cabinet had been called together to hear the report on the latest army equipment given by the Secretary of Defense, Joan Whited. Don Honaker, the new baseball coach of the Honaker Tigers, was getting his boys ready to go to the ball park to begin the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. A blue Nash whizzed by; and as it stopped for a red light, I recognized the driver as Mrs. Bud Mullins (the former Ruby McReynolds). She had the children separated, one in the front with her and one in the rear seat. They were fighting regardless of Ruby’s attempts to restore order. — 20 —

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Class Prophecy ( Continued ) Then I saw a handsome man pecking away on a typewriter. It was the one and only Bill Justice, editor of the Justice Fix-it-up Lovelorn Column, writing to Dorothy Dix. He wanted to know what to do when you asked a woman five times to marry you and she still refused. Fred Rasnake, still an eligible bachelor, was grinning from ear to ear as he watched Lois Jackson perform in Don Ray’s “Rare Dance Club.” In the John Hopkins Hospital I saw Charlene Martin, a pert little nurse, smiling as she helped Dr. Louise Jackson perfrom an operation on a handsome boxer, Curtis Steele. Curt had won the Featherweight Championship of the Universe by knocking out the “Mars Marvel,” the boxer who had won all the bouts on Mars, the Moon, and Jupiter. The office of the Roanoke News was the next scene. Fern Musick, the editor, had her star re- porters, Monica Miller and Doris Tuggle covering the “Big Hess Story.” Some one had broken into Shirley Hess’s mansion stealing all the family jewels. Shirley’s husband, Glen Vance, who is ambas- sador to Mars, was on vacation when the robbery occured. Gene Stump had crashed the Grand Opera as the first hillbilly star to ever sing “I Ain’t Gonna Take it Sitting Down” in the Metropolitan Opera House. The “Hess Farm” located just outside of Honaker was advertised in the Progressive Farmer as the only farm in the world which raises all-steak cows. The owner, Curtis Hess, was beaming proudly as the foremost photographer of the time, Herman Miller, snapped his picture. Under the shade of an old apple tree I saw Mildred Taylor, still as lazy as ever, but she told me she had a job in Peggy Hughes’s bakery as the Chief Pie Taster. At the annual Lawyer’s Convention in Philadelphia Dorthy Plaster, the foremost lawyer of her time, smiled proudly as a badge was pinned on her by Charles Ray, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The Wac’s of Los Angeles, California were very fond of their new Commander, Bernice Whitt. I was also told that in her spare time Bernice was a model for Betty Smith’s Space Modeling Agency. The Honaker Zoo had just received a shipment of wild animals from Edd Deel and Bud Gent, who were now on the moon capturing queer animals. Douglas Jamison and Jimmy McGlothin were having great sales with their new rat killer, Pew-Dead, an instant rat killer which absorbs the rats. My eye caught a view of a great wedding feast near Richlands. As I looked closer, I saw that the bride was Mary Elizabeth East. The feast was being held at the mansion of Zetta Wayne Sword; and the great Jimmy Rickman, the Producer of the movies in the Sky Theater, was chatting gaily with Margaret Fletcher, successor to Emily Post. The hold-up business had been taken over completely by Mr. and Mrs. Burl Wyatt (former Patty Wysor). They were selling a new kind of belts and suspenders. I clicked off the dial and sighed with relief. Ah, my classmates had done well for themselves in the past years; and I must say I was very proud to be one of them, even if I am only a flunky coping notes for those who are great. I aroused my companion who was sound asleep by my side and started telling her about our former classmates. Louise Jackson Zetta Wayne Sword — 21 —