Oxford High School - Oxonian Yearbook (Oxford, NC)

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--.., !. 6 ,, 5'I-52 Gilbert Ragland Jesse Carroll Julia Hall Ann Crymes Lila Haney, Chief 558-iffy Dan Jones Grier Park Jean Hughes Patsy Brummitt 17 -.,,.

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eadofz? Patsy Brummitt After graduation from high school my classmates had all gone their separate ways, Some were planning to be secretaries, some teachers, some farmers, some merchants, and almost all of them planned to be married, especial- ly the girls who were wearing those glittering stones on their fingers. I suppose many graduates had hoped that a day would come when all their classmates would have a reunion, talk over their school days, and find out how many of them had really fulfilled their ambitions, I, too, had dreamed of this. This reunion became more than just a dream when I received a letter from Ann Crymes, who had been the secretary of our Senior Class in high school. She was trying to get in touch with all the members of our class and was planning a reunion, Friday night, November 6, 1962! All the members of the Class of '52 were invited, including their husbands and children. We were to meet at the Oxford Hotel,which was nowa million dollar establishment, under the management of Charles Curtin and Julia Hall. It was planned for this time in order that we might attend the Homecoming Game at which time the Oxford Wildcats would clash with the Henderson Bulldogs. There was even more competition than ever between tnese two teams as Eugene Woodlief had become coach of the Wildcats and Homer Hobgood coach of the Bulldogs. Ann informed me that she was now commerical teacher in the Old Alma Mater and had introduced a course in shorter shorthand and electrical typing. At my first leisure moment, I answered Ann's letter accepting the invita- tion. Although I lived in near-by Raleigh, I boarded a plane for cars are no longer in style! As I stepped into the plane, I noticed that piloting the plane was the former speed maniac Dan Critcher. The patrolmen got so tired of catching Dan on the highway for speeding, thatthey gave him his wings so that he could go as fast as he wanted to in the air. When I was settled in my seat and all comfortable, I looked across the aisle and whom should I see but Gilbert Ragland, who was the founder and now chief surgeon of Ragland's Home For the Broken Hearted, a world famous hospital for unfortunate lovers, located at Berea. He informed me that Joyce Yeargin and Juanita Hughes had re- cently helped him perform a major operation on the heart of Peggy Paynter whose husband had just left her to go to Mars to study how to release muscular tension. In a little while television claimed my attention and I recognized the accompanist of the Andrew Sisters to be a former classmate, Leslie Hall. After being shaken up a great deal,welanded at Yeargin's Airfield, under the management of William Yeargin. At the baggage office I recognized another familiar face,that of Barbara Lloyd,who was still never too busy to talk to an old friend. She told me that Phoebe Burnette had been working at the Department of Revenue Office, located at Stem, She had been doing a bit of income tax checking on Oxford High Schools' Beta Club, whoselarge bank account was of unusual interest to this department. Barbara alsotold me that Jane Knott was writing a Dorothy Dix column in the Oxford Public Ledger. The editor of this newspaper published every hour on the hour was Jean Hughes and its sports writer was Jackie Jones who had become a second Jack Horner, With the help of radar I contacted the Watkins' Helicopter Company, one ofthe largest communication organi- zation in the world, owned by John Robert Watkins, known to us in high school as -- Puny . By the time I turned off the radar switch, there, already out in front blowing impatiently on his siren, was Maxie Parham, who was opera- ting one of the fastest helicopters in the company. On the way to the hotel, I noticed a sign which said Suits De- partment Store -- Suits to Suit the Bashful Suitor and Maxie said its owner was our old classmate Donald Suit. Arriving at the Hotel, Irecognized Janet Speed and her husband. Tagging behind them were four little tots dressed in football uniforms, and yelling We want a touchdown! The ball room was beautifully decorated with neon lights all around the balcony. In baskets in every corner were imported orchids, arranged by Anna Hogan, Home Ec. teacher at O, H. S. As the class members began to arrive there was much greeting and everyone seemed happy to be with his class- mates again. Waslsurprised whenlsaw Lila Haney who told me that she and Albert Clay were devoting their time to chemical experiments in the Atomic Plant located in Creedmoor. They had already blown up Stalingrad and had their eyes turned on Berlin. She reminded me that Helen Tatsey washolding a secretarial position in this plant. Ihardly recognized Grier Parks who told me he was the President of a School of Architecture in New York City. I, also learned from him that Jesse Carroll was the assistant to Dr. Hart in the Math department of Duke University and that he was the author of a new Math book which made Algebra as simple as A. B. C. Some of the oldest married members in our class were Dotty Harris, Hattie Moore, Blanche Cheatham, and Dixie Boyd. Dotty and her husband now owned a most prosperous goat farm in Oakhlllg and were making money faster than they could count it. Hattie was residing in Richmond and was mistress of a twenty-five room mansion. For the past five years Blanche has been living in Alaska, where her husband was commander of the Fifth Air Force Division there. Dixie was presiding over her household which consisted of a husband, five children, four dogs, a cat, and a canary. After everybody had quieted down, we were served a delicious meal, prepared and served under the direction of Virginia Hayes,who for five yearshad been trying our her recipes on her husband, Now he had the pleasure of see- ing someone else suffer! Beasley and Overton Meat Market, owned and operated by Richard Beasley and James Overton and Johnson's Grocery, owned by Preston Johnson, had furnished the food for the dinner. fAnd I might add that it was NOT freely While we were eating Violet Overton informed me that she had just returned home from a missionary tour in Africa, The speaker for the evening was Alex Hancock,who had recently set up his law practice in Oxford and was run- ning for Congress in the fall election. Joyce Knott, who had become an opera star, had been lent by Metropolitan to funish music for the evening, All of us were amazed when Dan Jones told of his explorations in South America and that he had married a beautiful South American heiress. As private secretary to the manager of Club '76 I hurried of to Raleigh to supervise the dressing of the chorus girls for their late performance, after bidding all my classmates farewell. I6

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