Dale Sumner

Posted on: Sep 11, 2019 at 8:01 AM

Posted on: Sep 11, 2019 at 8:01 AM

Posted on: Aug 15, 2019 at 12:04 PM

Feel your pain about Lewis Martin. I was probably one of the biggest jocks THS never knew they had simply because of hair. Went on to play no.1 league softball for over 10 years. None of the coaches would even think of me due to the “filthy hippie” image Martin bestowed on me. I was Ross Porters best friend and even moved in with him & his family several times when dad would get mad at me. Frank was a great guy.

Phil was my neighbor across the street from the 1st grade through the 6th grade. We lived on Lynwood Street so you can say we learned to climb trees together. Other ‘69 neighbors through the 6th grade were Clay Thornton, Joe Ross Rogers, Ray Gwynn and Rusty Jones just to name a few. Spent the most time at Phil’s house including a few sleep-overs. I was devistated when Phil was severely burned back then. I can still here my mom yelling from our front porch “Dale it’s time to come home” and I’d tell Phil, “see you tomorrow”. Guess we ran out of tomorrow’s but I’ll always remember Phil Christian.

 Can’t say enough kind words about Tere Andrews starting with Joe Bowlin and Tere. What a couple. Tere had a slight rasp in her voice I’ll always remember. Best memories come from the elementary and junior high days. Her days with Fanchon, Rhonda and Molly. What a dynamic foursome. The fun parties and watching those 4 in the hallways. Tere was always my favorite and nothing but kind. Miss you Tere.

Ross was my best friend at Crockett Jr. High & Tascosa High. Ross and I were a little before our time with the British Invasion (Beatles) upon us and AISD in West Texas locked into the “hair can’t touch the top of your ears or collar” crap. I do know Ross was a true “Fonzie” character long before Happy Days ever aired. Ross was never the same after he was the only survivor from the train wreck in ‘69 that killed his entire band, “Vickie and the Krystal Ship”, plus our good friend Frank Porter from the class of ‘69. I visited Ross many times in the hospital after the wreck and still to this day don’t know how he survived it. The wreck ‘all but’ cut him in half. To my old friend Ross, “thanks for the memories” and a shout-out to his mom, Betty, the kindness woman I’d ever met who offered me a safe-haven in a world of hippie haters. Odd thing about hippie’s and hair was the fact that we were accepted by and ran with numerous football players with THS and AHS. It was simply the athletic coaches and Mr. Martin at THS who labeled us as “filthy hippies”.