I can still hear your voice and see your face exactly how you always looked when we would see each other. What a great guy you were and remain in our memories.
I think I started school with Tommy in the first grade at Cascade Heights Elem. I left him at the end of the third grade to go to Venetian Hills Elem. with a whole lot of our class. Johnny Murphy sent me a picture of our 4th grade class with Ricky Ricketts, Phillis Hickman Estes and half of our class at Southwest. I will bring the picture to the reunion. I picked back up with Tommy in the 8th grade at Southwest. One of the first memories I had was some older guy said something smart to David Estes and David turned to Tommy and asked if he was going to let this guy say that to David. Tommy hit the guy and almost knocked him over the desk. Tommy was that kind of guy. We knew each other in school but really became friends after we graduated. Tommy and I got jobs at Mead Paper Co. as mailboys. I was going to Univ. of Ga. at Southern Tech and Tommy was going to Ga. Tech. We worked in the daytime and went to school at night. I sometimes rode to school with Ted Green in a cold VW. I remember that Tommy was so mad at his mother that summer because she had started Tommy in school when he was 5 years old. When he played football for Southwest his senior year he was 6'2' and 175 lbs. The summer after we graduated he grew to 6'4' and 260 lbs. which is why he was mad at his mother. He said that if he had started school at 6 years old, he could have gotten a scholarship. Tommy went with and married Caroline Johnson from Brown High School. I was in his wedding but can not remember who else. I left Mead Paper Co. but Tommy went on to be one of their best salemen calling on the big beer and drink companies. He moved to Pittsburg first and called me one night to tell me that some of the guys he worked with introduced him to Iron City Beer, the Number One beer in Pittsburg. He said after he drank a few, these guys showed him how to drop a shot of licquer in the beer. He said that later that night, these same guys leaned him against his front door, rang the door bell and ran. He said that when Caroline opened the door he fell in saying Avon Calling. Tommy and Caroline had three children and later on divorced. Tommy left Mead and moved back to Atlanta to be near his children. He married a real nice lady who had two boys in their late teens. Tommy lived in Lawrenceville, Ga. about five miles from my parents. When I visited with my parents, I always tried to see Tommy because he was so funny and could always make me laugh. Several years ago, Tommy called me to tell me he was having heart trouble and he was coming to the University of Al. at Birmingham for treatment. I would visit with him when he was seeing his doctor and we would go to lunch. His heart was in larged so they tried a new precedure where they put his heart in a sack like a orange bag. The doctors had to go back in and work on the sack later. Tommy said that while he was under he heard the doctor say, Well this patient didn't make it so get the body bag. Tommy said that he couldn't move but was trying to stick his tougue out and wiggle his ears to let the doctor know that he was still alive. He had me rolling on the floor with his facial movements and telling the story. Tommy said he told the doctor when he visited him in recovery and the doctor said that another patient had died and he didn't know that Tommy could hear him. Tommy didn't make it but was always a good friend and a funny guy that I will always miss. Howell Freeman
Rick Ricketts
Tom - we'll miss your laugh and fun spirit
Frank Lane, Jr
Tommy,
I can still hear your voice and see your face exactly how you always looked when we would see each other. What a great guy you were and remain in our memories.
Frank Lane
Howell Freeman
I think I started school with Tommy in the first grade at Cascade Heights Elem. I left him at the end of the third grade to go to Venetian Hills Elem. with a whole lot of our class. Johnny Murphy sent me a picture of our 4th grade class with Ricky Ricketts, Phillis Hickman Estes and half of our class at Southwest. I will bring the picture to the reunion. I picked back up with Tommy in the 8th grade at Southwest. One of the first memories I had was some older guy said something smart to David Estes and David turned to Tommy and asked if he was going to let this guy say that to David. Tommy hit the guy and almost knocked him over the desk. Tommy was that kind of guy. We knew each other in school but really became friends after we graduated. Tommy and I got jobs at Mead Paper Co. as mailboys. I was going to Univ. of Ga. at Southern Tech and Tommy was going to Ga. Tech. We worked in the daytime and went to school at night. I sometimes rode to school with Ted Green in a cold VW. I remember that Tommy was so mad at his mother that summer because she had started Tommy in school when he was 5 years old. When he played football for Southwest his senior year he was 6'2' and 175 lbs. The summer after we graduated he grew to 6'4' and 260 lbs. which is why he was mad at his mother. He said that if he had started school at 6 years old, he could have gotten a scholarship. Tommy went with and married Caroline Johnson from Brown High School. I was in his wedding but can not remember who else. I left Mead Paper Co. but Tommy went on to be one of their best salemen calling on the big beer and drink companies. He moved to Pittsburg first and called me one night to tell me that some of the guys he worked with introduced him to Iron City Beer, the Number One beer in Pittsburg. He said after he drank a few, these guys showed him how to drop a shot of licquer in the beer. He said that later that night, these same guys leaned him against his front door, rang the door bell and ran. He said that when Caroline opened the door he fell in saying Avon Calling. Tommy and Caroline had three children and later on divorced. Tommy left Mead and moved back to Atlanta to be near his children. He married a real nice lady who had two boys in their late teens. Tommy lived in Lawrenceville, Ga. about five miles from my parents. When I visited with my parents, I always tried to see Tommy because he was so funny and could always make me laugh. Several years ago, Tommy called me to tell me he was having heart trouble and he was coming to the University of Al. at Birmingham for treatment. I would visit with him when he was seeing his doctor and we would go to lunch. His heart was in larged so they tried a new precedure where they put his heart in a sack like a orange bag. The doctors had to go back in and work on the sack later. Tommy said that while he was under he heard the doctor say, Well this patient didn't make it so get the body bag. Tommy said that he couldn't move but was trying to stick his tougue out and wiggle his ears to let the doctor know that he was still alive. He had me rolling on the floor with his facial movements and telling the story. Tommy said he told the doctor when he visited him in recovery and the doctor said that another patient had died and he didn't know that Tommy could hear him. Tommy didn't make it but was always a good friend and a funny guy that I will always miss. Howell Freeman