John Pierre Hill

Up for a zoom call as well.  Been a bit busy for the last few months.  My wife fractured her right kneecap back in December and I was the caregiver and househusband for several months (not easy when you live upstairs in a condo).  Finally getting out and around. Just got back from Arkansas seeing the grandchildren.

John

Tommy Nixon

I was drawn to the Class Creator site by a reminder that's it's Catie Ball's birthday today. So very Happy Birthday Catie! I hope your cup overflows with joy wherever you are. My thoughts are also with the many of our classmates who continue to live in parts of Florida devastated by Hurricane Ian. It's truly horrific what we are seeing on TV, and I know some of you, or family members or dear friends, have been effected by this tragedy. Our hearts go out to all of you who are finding ways to cope with the losses and devastation that some of you are experiencing.  Find strength and hang in there..... Tom Nixon

Donna Loomis (Arthur)

Hi all, I hope everyone is doing well and have survived Ian with no loss. Tommy Nixon, thanks for the reminder for Catie's birthday. Happy birthday, Catie🎂  Looking forward to our next reunion and hope to see everyone there.  Take care all,  Donna

Cheryl Linsey Beaugh (Farmer)

I learned recently that our classmate Sammy Salem has passed. 
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/jacksonville-fl/samir-salem-11191880

Penelope Drew (Ware)

Many of us have been supporting him prayerfully during his decline.

We pray Gods holy Comfort upon his family and are grateful he will no longer suffer in the heavenlies.

Thank You for Sammy's life Lord Jesus.

Susan Victoria Fritts (Burnett)

Thanks to all for sharing various updates.  I've enjoyed keeping up with all the news from everyone.  Gosh, it doesn't feel like we graduated SO LONG ago.  It's also sad to see how many friends we're losing these days.  I'm mostly working part-time and from home as a paralegal for the corporate legal department of a regional hospital system in Memphis, TN.  I enjoy having something to do, and I think it also keeps my mind sharper than it may otherwise be.  Again, good to hear from everyone.  Stay in touch.  Susan Fritts Burnett

P.S.  Happy St. Patrick's Day this Friday.

Dorothea Youngblood (Lucas)

May Sammy Salem rest in peace. May the heavenly gates of heaven with God's open arm welcome him. Prayers for the family and friends to heal from thier sorrow of a lost love one. 

Dorothea Youngblood (Lucas)

May Sammy Salem rest in peace. May the heavenly gates of heaven with God's open arm welcome him. Prayers for the family and friends to heal from thier sorrow of a lost love one. 

Michael Ferrara

Even though Gary never graduated ,  he was a classmate, abit a short one, and had he finished, would have been in the class of 1969. He quit school to follow his dream , mastering his craft to the point where many considered him to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time . 

He went on the become a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member in what many consider to be one of the greatest Rock and Roll Bands on the planet ., Lynyrd Skynyrd . He passed March 5 .  . He probably did as much (inadvertently) to put Robert E High School on the map as anyone in our class :) 

. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/gary-rossington-obituary

Tommy Nixon

In follow up to Mike's post: a bit more about Gary Rossington. Gary was a quiet guy, very good little leaque second baseman, with a lot of intelligence who managed to carve out his place in West Jacksonville and in American Rock 'n Roll History. There were so many things going against him but together with the undying dreams of something else, beyond West Jacksonville, local clubs, and the south in general, with a little luck and a commitment to hard work, his dream prevailed. I shared some of those very early years on school boy patrol, little league, and drinking malt liquor with he and Allen outside the Good Shepherd dances off Park St. After Lakeshore Junior High School, I loss any real connection. I think by freshman year at Lee or soon after he was out of school playing small clubs around the south. Last time I saw him was when the band was playing at the U of F on a gig with Tom Peggy's band Mudcrutch. Of course we'll always share a connection to Coach Skinner, but is divergently different ways. It seems like the passing of an era with his death that goes back a very longtime with me to Hyde Elementary School where I shared first grade with fellow graduates Cotton Morlock, Debbie Franklin, Timmy Jerrill and Mark McCumber. Like Mike has said, he was very much apart of our class until he wasn't, but he was 'running down a dream.' Rest in Peace, GR.

Susan Victoria Fritts (Burnett)

My local paper ran the below, in part, article.  With the recent passing of one of our own from the Lynyrd Skynyrd band, I thought the guys in our class could do a Memoir of the real life Lee coach.  "Memories of the the Real Leonard Skinner" - just a thought guys - get writing and sharing.

"After the group of 80-somethings began having bi-monthly Zoom meetings to reminisce about old times and update each other on life accomplishments since their time at Central, they came up with an idea: write a book describing how major social and political events of the 20th century intersected with their own lives, and how it shaped who they are today.

The end result was the book “From Rock Around the Clock to TikTok: Eighty Years of Life, Learning and Hope” by Memphis Central High Classmates of 1959.

Published by New Jersey-based publishing company BookBaby, the book contains 14 individual stories from the Central grads, and how their remarkable experiences intersected with some of the most politically and culturally significant events of their generation."

Michael Ferrara

  Go Gilchrist  

Local investor Gilchrist Berg presented Jacksonville University’s College of Law with a multimillion dollar endowment yesterday in honor of his late brother Randall C. Berg, Jr., former executive director of the Florida Justice Institute. The late Berg Jr. established a pro bono legal aid program and helped create the nation’s first interest on lawyers' trust account, which generates funds for legal services for those who can’t afford it. The JU endowment will fund faculty and student research, scholarships and more at the city's new law school, which admitted its first class last fall. (Jacksonville Today)

Donna Loomis (Arthur)

Gilchrist, what a wonderful gift in honor of Randy. 

Tommy Nixon

A little story and history that Gilchrist and I shared on an evening just prior to the last 50th R E Lee Reunion. It turns out his grandfather rented to my parents their first apartment when they first got married and moved to Jacksonville in 1950 on Osceola in Riverside. This was also the same residence that later became Leonard Skinner's first realty business and was briefly on the back cover of one of Lynyrd Skynyrd's first albums. I believe there was a photo of the residence and a Leonard Skinner Realty sign. I was conceived at that apartment, born at Riverside Hospital and then shortly after my parents purchased our home in Lakeshore Area and we moved there, not far from St. Mathew's Church. 
Gilchrest is to be commended for his hard work, diligence and financial creativity. He and his wife are both great examples of giving back to the community and the town from where he started. I thoroughly enjoyed the time prior to the reunion with Taylor Corse and our wives laughing and talking down by the ocean in Ponte Vedra. I'm not surprised by his generosity and caring. Thanks Mike F. for sharing this information as I don't get this kind of information except of Classcreator, about our classmates. Tom Nixon

Johnny Arnold

Thanks for everyon's posts. I read them often. I have found that we in our time and place have expereinced, been part of,,shared in our lives with extroordinary ppeople and events. I learn more all the time. I am constantly bragging about the people i know. We have the music element. I have talked and posted on that a great deal. We all played a part. I want to go back and tell myself in Lake Shore to pay attention. 

Some of my friends I have known for my whole life like Rick Doeschler. We were in 2cd grade together. Still actively interact on FB. Taylor Corse's father was my godfather. ScottSheftal and I were on the Yachr Club swim team when we were 6. I played Littel League on NAS Jax for VA -44 and how many kids get to go the home of the Blue Angels sit right tbe runway and have them perform right in front of ud. Rob Rivers became one of the best pilots on the world. He is in Hall fo Fame, taight the shuttle astronauts how to fly the shuttle and is the only pilot to fly the Concorde and Russian version. That's not all..

My parents got divorced when I was 9 and I moved from Ortega Forest to Hyde Grove Acres where I was in 6th grade with Mark McCumber. I had been told that Larry Steele who wrote the boof "As I Recall" caught the school bus at same stop as me. He lived 3 houses down and we had a band that played one time at Good Shepherd. Got to see Jimmie Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and would have seen Jim Morrison if Mayor Tanzler hadn't cancelled ti. 

Gilchrist was destined to do well. I am very happy about his success as as Tommy said well he= earned it and has used his success to amke tthe workd a better place. 

Lynyrd Skynyrd holds a place in music that is known worldwide. I know this as I am now a dual citizen USA and Czech. I now live in Prague, Czech Republic. Right after getting here I walked into butcher and shop and Lynyrd Skynyrd was playing on their music. I said loudly "I know these guys!! I grew up knwing them"

There is ahow on by Ken Mains who is one to fhe best Unsolved Murder solvers in the US. He is huge Skynyrd Skynyrd fan. He and I are now friends as I have no children ti pass my yearbooks to I told Ken he was getting them as I know he will respect them and honor them. 

I wieh I had got to know everyone better. Growing up I was the only person I knew with divorced parents. I recetly learned Gary;'s fatther died while he was young and I think because neither if us had father figure we connected. I since found out Allen Collins parents divorced. It wasn't commom and not talked about. 

I have soent my entire adult like moving ffrom place to place and still moving. Within 6 months moving to Italy as costs less and my wife is dual citizen USA and Italian. I sometimes feel I could compete with Forest Gump for being where history is happening. 

Thanks everyone. Being 71 doesn't feel old but when need an excuse I have it.

"Gimme A Break. I'm 71"

Johnny

Michael Ferrara

Good story Johnny.. I can relate to so much., so much I had forgotten.  You have a great memory. I appreciate you taking the time to post this.  

Morgan Mac Donell (White)

John ,  thank you so much for your writing. What a blessing to have connections, and people that know and remember all of your stories. You are a brilliant writer and story teller.

and Gilchrist, thank you so much for your generosity!!!  My favorite PBS shows have your name  as a donor. 
I wish I had known people better. Too shy. 
Love and joy to you all  

Johnny Arnold

Hi Mike, Hi Tommy,

Tommy you mentioned the house you lived in which was on album. 
check out this video https://youtu.be/haknCvo6ric 

It is documentary around plane crash. The album with your house is shown on it 

There are a lot of really good Skynyrd videos on youtube especially from the 70s   

Morgan, I would like to be able to tell my teenage self "Pay Attention. Lots of incredible really nice great people around you." We lived in history that not all get to have..

johnny
 

Tommy Nixon

John, years later after the plane crash I was attending a band practice on the south side of Jacksonville with my dear friends Galen and Joann Connell. Joann was the younger sister of our classmate Charlotte Paresi, who many people remember from St. Mathew's, Lakeshore Jr. High School and of course Lee HS. Galen was a rhythm guitarist in the band that was practicing and he was a good one. The band (can't remember their name) was known locally and they even had gigs in Jamaica around Montego Bay. They were centered around a session drummer out of LA who was a member of a 'one hit wonder' band there. I know too much information, but the point is they were good. Singing in their band was Leslie Hawkins, former backup singer with Lnyryd Skynyrd who was on the plane when it crashed. She had had significant plastic surgery to her face but it was apparent it was never ever going to replace what was there before. But she was a tremendous person who repaired her life and stayed involved in music. I don't know the end of her story or if she's even still alive. Check out photos of her before. She was a real beauty and she was part of history. FYI 

Vivian Partin (Matlack)

Ok.  I confess.  I miss y'all.  Someone had mentioned having a Zoom call.  I am assuming that you meant it and weren't just blowing smoke up my skirt.  I am willing to set it up but I have some questions:

How many people should I anticipate attending?  I am willing to pay for the larger audience if more than 100 are needed.  

How long should I schedule the call?  

More than 1 hour certainly, but how long.  Is there a better time to schedule it - weekend, which month, etc.?  

Vivian Partin Matlack 

James (Jimmy ) Gardner

Sounds like a good idea; im for it.

Charles Fobes

Hello from Texas Y'all!

Sounds great to me.

Please let me know date and time.

Felix Dean Mitchell

Now that I how to Zoom would appreciate info on the date/time and link.

Thanks and look forward to catching up with all of you.

Felix

James (Jim) Mackie

Love to see allon a zoom, just pick a date and time and see what happens.

Jim Mackie

Donna Loomis (Arthur)