I met Thomas Walker for the first time in the 6th grade, Mrs Short's class. Most of the kids in that class had previously attended Summerville Road School, but were sent to Gordon Bibb for that year. I should have been in Mrs.Dinsmore's class with all the kids I had been with since 1st grade,but that's another story.
Tommy, and his then best friend Bobby Delmore, were the class clowns, and they made us laugh every day.Others in that class they entertained included Nita Jan Lee,Reba Dinsmore, Gerald Turner, George Screws and two or three I was deathly afraid of--Willis Lemley, Gene Holmes, and Billy Crowe.
Tommy and I lived in lived in the same dorm at Florence State, and like so many of us, Tommy loved to pull parctical jokes on anyone he could. Generally, they were good natured and harmless. Sometimes the stunts involved lighter fluid, which burns at a low temperature, and is usually not dangerous. We had a friend in the dorm from Danville, who shall remain namless, that we all liked, but who many in the dorm liked to "mess with." One evening Guy French and Tommy tricked Danville into letting them tie him up. They then proceded to shave him in a place most men NEVER shave, and then soaked him with English Leather after shave, which had the desired effect of giving Danville a "warm" sensation. Then without thinking that after shave is alcohol based, they squirted lighter fluid on him and set it on fire, with an unexpected result.The lighter fluid ignited the residue of the after shave, causing severe burns in the general area of Danville's private parts.
As soon as Tommy and Guy realized what was happening, the smothered the fire out, but the damage was done. The burns took weeks to heal. Believe it or not, Danville was not mad at Guy or Tommy, having himself "messed" with Tommy and Guy on occasion, and they often laughed about the incident and remained good friends all though college. One could just not not like the carefree Tommy, or Guy either for that matter.
I never saw Tommy again after college, but I hope he never out grew his mischievousness and continued to make people laugh to the end.
Richard Allen
I met Thomas Walker for the first time in the 6th grade, Mrs Short's class. Most of the kids in that class had previously attended Summerville Road School, but were sent to Gordon Bibb for that year. I should have been in Mrs.Dinsmore's class with all the kids I had been with since 1st grade,but that's another story.Tommy, and his then best friend Bobby Delmore, were the class clowns, and they made us laugh every day.Others in that class they entertained included Nita Jan Lee,Reba Dinsmore, Gerald Turner, George Screws and two or three I was deathly afraid of--Willis Lemley, Gene Holmes, and Billy Crowe.
Tommy and I lived in lived in the same dorm at Florence State, and like so many of us, Tommy loved to pull parctical jokes on anyone he could. Generally, they were good natured and harmless. Sometimes the stunts involved lighter fluid, which burns at a low temperature, and is usually not dangerous. We had a friend in the dorm from Danville, who shall remain namless, that we all liked, but who many in the dorm liked to "mess with." One evening Guy French and Tommy tricked Danville into letting them tie him up. They then proceded to shave him in a place most men NEVER shave, and then soaked him with English Leather after shave, which had the desired effect of giving Danville a "warm" sensation. Then without thinking that after shave is alcohol based, they squirted lighter fluid on him and set it on fire, with an unexpected result.The lighter fluid ignited the residue of the after shave, causing severe burns in the general area of Danville's private parts.
As soon as Tommy and Guy realized what was happening, the smothered the fire out, but the damage was done. The burns took weeks to heal. Believe it or not, Danville was not mad at Guy or Tommy, having himself "messed" with Tommy and Guy on occasion, and they often laughed about the incident and remained good friends all though college. One could just not not like the carefree Tommy, or Guy either for that matter.
I never saw Tommy again after college, but I hope he never out grew his mischievousness and continued to make people laugh to the end.