Jimmy Record

Grissom had good sports teams and coaches back in the 1970's. The 70's were Great Years but did we ever have the natural disasters back then.  73 we lost several classmates and had the 100 plus year Flood that devistated south Parkway. Such a flood has not been seen since. Then in 74 we had those awful tornadoes.

This reunion is pretty special as some of us have not seen each other in 40 years. I hope people are trying hard to talk those who have not been participating in previous ones into coming. We had a great class with a lot of wonderful people in it. I have very fond memories of many of you and I sure hope we can get some of those who have remained Aloof to attend this one.

John Cochran

I had forgotten all about Ireland's, there on Airport- Great place to eat- The night of April 4th our Senior year was unbelievable- I remember the next day, we were leaving for the Key Club Convention in Birmingham, and just driving to the school that morning to leave, there were uprooted trees, and debris all over the Bailey Cove area- Terrible night of storms.

On a better note, looking forward to the 40th, and hope some of the knuckleheads ( I'm looking at you Mike Weesner and Doug Carmichael) that haven't been able to come to previous reunions will be there- And Pat Shout McKay, I would never refer to you as a knucklehead, but..............

John Cochran

BTW, J.D., great picture, but you definitely outpunted your coverage !!!!

J. D. Webster

Somebody had to do it.... So I'll step up!

DON MCLEAN Lyrics to American Pie ... Prom music

A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while

But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

[Chorus]
So bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Verse 1]
Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now do you believe in rock and roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died

[Chorus]
I started singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Verse 2]
Now for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me

Oh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned

And while Lenin read a book on Marx
A quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died

[Chorus]
We were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Verse 3]
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance

'Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

[Chorus]
We started singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Verse 4]
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the devil's only friend

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan's spell

And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Outro]
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play

And in the streets, the children screamed
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died

And they were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Chorus]
They were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin' "This'll be the day that I die"

Kim Ellen Manning (Manning)

So glad you did, JD.  Best Song Ever.  

J. D. Webster

American Pie - Recorded in 1971 and probably played at every school dance we had for the next four years, plus on the radio (WAAY?) our whole time at Grissom.   :-)

John Cochran

Does anybody remember 2nd period Physics w/ Mr. Seay ?? Our original teacher (Mr.  Schnell) just packed up and left after about 2 weeks, and the school started scrambling to find a replacement- I think Mr. Seay had come from the Math Department as a fill in, that became permanent- I took  the class for one reason, and learning Physics was not it- To  this day, I know nothing about Physics, other than it was the home for a lot of hilarious moments during the 1973-74 school year.

J. D. Webster

Today we broke the century mark on located "living" classmates who have signed in.  Many thanks to all of you out their actively seeking them out and passing on this location.  As Rick says - keep it up!

cheers,

J.D.

Jimmy Record

Very Good J.D!! Remembering all the lyrics and even the correct call letters of the Radio Station. Do you remember where it was (what frequency) on the radio dial?

Jim Hammons

I, too, remember Mr. Seay and how we all breezed through that class. I remember very little about Physics but remember the things we used to do in that class. There were times when I kind of felt sorry for him with what was going on in class.

Mark Horton

1550

Rick Eichelberger

I remember listen to WLS radio (out of Chicago) with John Records Landecker.  You could pick it up pretty good early in the morning.  I could even listen to it in my car before school started.  One day they saluted Grissom High School as the #1 dope school of the south.  It got back to the school board and it was about two weeks later that the smoking court was closed and things begin to tighten down.

J. D. Webster

1550 "AM" Mark!  :-)

Jimmy Record

Very Good Mark & JD !!! That station and the frequency are Long Gone!!! So glad we moved to FM and now Satellite Radio.

John Cochran

Also, don't forget the other AM station, WVOV.

J. D. Webster

Rick and I have created a couple of fun forum topics for people to check out. Please share you insights and funny stories from school. As one unofficial cheeleader for this site, I want to invite everyone to let their hair down and remember the old days (good or bad!). All of us lived them. Not all of us knew everything about the others, but undoubtably, our lives were influenced by everyone we interacted with back then.

Cheers, J.D.

J. D. Webster

Photo Album Function Now Active!

Check out Rick's fabulous collection of 30th Reunion Photos. Also, I've added a few more. Feel free to create and add your own photos, or, if unsure - email the administrator (Rick) with copies and he can add them in.

Cheers,

J.D.

J. D. Webster

Awesome day today - we had five of our classmates join this site in one day! Also, pretty quiet out there. So this is another push for you guys to share your stories. Rick and I were talking the other day and kind of hoping that this site will become the permanent hang out for our class and not just a temporary spot prior to each reunion.

The advantage of this site is that at its basic (free) level, we get a whole lot of communications power that other "for pay" sites don't offer. Remember that you can go to any classmate's profile and leave them a message and that there is also a "private" message exchange function as well.

Anyway - Welcome to the new arrivals!

:-)

Mike Hethcoat

To this day it's my favorite song [American Pie] to play and sing on my acoustic guitar.  Forgeddaboudit, I won't do it for an audience.  I do it in original and Star Wars version.  Maybe when I get home I can post the words for the Star Wars Version.

John Cochran

The boss and I have had the pleasure of spending the weekend in Louisville for a bucket list cross off, the Kentucky Derby- She was even able to get some shots of California Chrome up close in the paddock a little over a half hour before the race- And when these horses come off the final turn into the home stretch, they are like missiles, basically a blur.

Great weekend, but we're ready to get back home to Alabama tomorrow.

Vance Moore

Hi John - Sounds like great fun - my wife has it on her bucket list, too - VV

J. D. Webster

It didn't involve horses or fancy hats but Vance Moore, his wife Helen, my wife Paula and I got together monday night in Clearwater Beach in Florida for dinner, kicking off our reunion year early. We had a lot of fun catching up, some so-so white wine and some nice seafood. Vance was there for a professional conference and Paula and I live in nearby Tampa. As soon as I photo shop our bloated bellies (due to over-eating...yeah, that's the ticket) out of the pictures I'll post a couple. Great seeing you Vance! Funny stories and all.

:-)

JD

Rick Shrout

Damn, the pages are flying off the calendar a little too fast!

(There JD, I've posted something!)

Drew James

Vance Moore

Great seeing JD down in Clearwater Beach, FL last week.  Good that our wives were there to keep us from going off the page!  Anybody talk to Mike Weesner recently?