Kay Manning (Elrod)

Cheryl:  The good thing about getting "older" is that we can laugh about these things. When we were young, we had too much passion about being right or just too much passion about anything to just let it slide. I like that about being older - call it being passive if you will or indifferent. 

Other funny things that happen to married people as they age:  Of course, we think the same thoughts and can finish each other's sentences. This is scary because sometimes those thoughts aren't always nice but yet we have the same ones.  Maybe that is why we don't have many conversations - we don't need to, we already know the outcome.

Laurena Hutto (Taylor)

Speaking of names...when I married and took my spouses last name and then divorced (more than once). I thought about this whole name deal as well, as you do lose your identity in a way. 

When I divorced I took my maiden name back.  Then I remarried. When I went to change my SS information, the man at the SS office changed my SS Card name to my entire name as listed on my birth certificate, and then hyphenated my last name to Hutto-Taylor.  Now all my paperwork, everywhere I go is so long people say OMGosh.  Even the airlines and TSA shortened it as it would not fit on anything. 

My husband said "I thought you wanted to be a Taylor, and now you have turned into one of those modern women with a hyphenated name".  At least I preserved my maiden name in the change, but even my car title has Bettye Laurena Hutto-Taylor. I have never used the name Bettye, and now at the doctor's office they call out Bettye 2 or 3 times before I realize they mean me.

People ask me all the time what name should we use?  My company shortened my name to initials "BL". Sometimes it gets really confusing. My husband and I now have the same initials, BLT on a lot of records, and we both were born on August 20th. LOL

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Laurena: There was a time when all of my names were getting in the way too. It may have been when applying for SS. I can't remember the circumstances. Anyway, my first name is Brenda. They wanted all my names so I wrote down Brenda Kay Manning Martin Elrod. They investigated all combinations of my name and then required proof of divorce from Mr. Martin. Man, what a pain that was. Luckily, my husband, the accountant, keeps records and he had old tax records with all my names on them and proof of the divorce - whodathunk?

Kay Manning (Elrod)

What memories did BIG WAYS radio conjure up for you?  What was your favorite radio station? I loved WPEG and WAYS, of course.

Wayne Haselden

I loved listening to Jack Gail on Big Ways radio. I especially like to hear the Man From the Bank commercial. He would anounce that the man from the bank was comming and you would hear the door open and they would go to commercial. After the commercial he would thank the man from the bank and you would hear the door open and close again. Some one did a TV spot on him not long ago. He did admit the he and someone else smoked a little "Mary Jane" a few times. Anyway, they played really good music.

Another favorite of mine was Wolfman Jack on WOWO from Fort Wayne. He was really cool and so funny. Played really golod music to listen to while you watched the "Submarine Races".

Lets not forget one of your own. Scott Martin on WTYC afternoon show. That was also a good radio program to listen to. I loved the song that he played as his signoff theme. I have it on my iPhone. Does anyone else remember the title? It was a really cool song to listen to.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Good memory Wayne!  I remember WOWO in Ft. Wayne. My Dad was from Bluffton about 25 miles from Ft Wayne and I never could imagine anything modern or hip coming from that area. The airport today has one runway and about three flights per day.  It is still 1966 up there. Don't remember the bank man and, frankly, I did not know what "Mary Jane" was until mid-70's.  So you see, the whole world opened up for me when I left RH. Now I wish I could at least have the radio back.  Sweet times!  I would love to know the name of Scott's theme song too.  Maybe we can post it on the home page music.

Wayne Haselden

Scotts sign off song was Last Night by the Mar_Keys. It is an instrumental. I think some of the band members formed Booker T and the MGs latter. It is a really good song in my opinion. There was so much great music from that time period. 

Dennis W. Haire

Did anyone attend the Big Ways shows at the old Charlotte Coliseum (now Bojangles Arena) on Independence Blvd.?  They would have 8 or 10 acts.  I attended one where they had Lou Christie, Spanky & Our Gang, etc.

Speaking of DJ's on WTYC - Dale Gilbert followed Scott.  He has been the "Larry Sprinkle" (morning & noon weatherman) of WYFF (channel 4 in Greenville) for many years.  He also is the in-stadium announcer at Clemson football games and the arena announcer for Clemson basketball games.

   Dennis

Lewis Whisonant

WRHI had a program called Night Sounds. A guy named Mike Scott was the DJ for a while. His mother was a teacher at Rock Hill High.

I also remember the Big WAYS treasure hunts with Mr. Treasure. People were digging holes all over Charlotte trying to find the money. I think WAYS did not cut their signal strength at night for a while so people could hear the clues. This was the summer of 1965 I believe.

I still have a Big WAYS record album of Top 40 hits.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

I did go to some of the WAYS concerts. I didn't realize that is what it was. Lou Christy and so many good performers. Dick Clark had a couple of shows around '64 with early Motown people. I remember seeing The Supremes way back then.  WOW! I'm jealous of your memories. 

Lewis: Did Mike Scott have a band too?

Lewis Whisonant

I am not sure if Mike Scott had a band. I believe he went into the Air Force sometime after his stint on WRHI.

Ruth McAteer (Lockridge)

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Ruth: Was Lowell Pressure our Larry Sprinkle? He was at WAYS and I think his given name is Lowell.

Wayne: Is the song on the home page the one you mentioned for Scott's signoff song? Becky dug that up for you.

Lewis:  I remember those treasure hunts, specifically one - everyone in RH was digging in the same spot.

Scott Martin

Kudos to Wayne H. for finding my close out song!!! You are right. It was "Last Night." Never after 50 years would I have remembered this..

Scott Martin

Speaking of radio, mention was made of WOWO in Fort Wayne, How about WABC (Scott Muni and Cousin Brucie - latter now on Sirius XM)? FWIW, Scott Muni gave me permission to use the "scottso" handle. I convinced him WTYC 1 kW, daytime only, was not much competitive threat to WABC, 50 kW... :) And how about Dick Biondi, WLS, Chicago. Ahhh...those were the days.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Dick Biondi was one of my favorites. I could listen to him at night until the signal was lost about 11:00 pm; I remember Cousin Brucie vaguely.  Now we have to subscribe to good radio. Talking with my brother yesterday who has a little mountain "home". He said they discussed TV up there and he said he was perfectly happy with his guitar and the AM radio station they got up there. I told him he knew how to live!  Kids today (big ones as well as little ones)  would have to have their electronics and devices.

Dennis W. Haire

Think back to 1964.  The Cuban Missle Crisis passed about a year or so before and President Kennedy had been assasinated.  The world was on edge.  We had a thunderstorm in Rock Hill one night and it caused the civil defense sirens to go off in the middle of the night.  People began to panic.  WTYC had shut down at sundown and WRHI quit broadcasting at 11:00 PM.  The local TV channels all had test patterns on - no late night TV.  My aunt, Steven Vignola's Mom, calls my Mother in tears and my Mother begins to fill up the bathtub with fresh water and she always kept a month's supply of canned goods.  So I pick up my transistor radio and tune it to WLS out of Chicago and a Beatles' song is playing.  I go in to the kitchen and announce, "Uh, I don't think an attack is happening.  Chicago doesn't know anything about it.  They are still playing a Beatles' song on WLS.  I believe they would know before little old Rock Hill did."  This seemed to calm things down and everyone went back to bed.   Does anyone else remember this incident?

Kenneth Reid Hinson

Dennis, I sort of remember an event like the one you mentioned but what I REALLY remember hearing was a radio announcement by Orson Welles talking about the invasion of Earth by aliens!!  I wa a ways from my houseat another friend's home when this came on. I was scared to walk back home! Ha,ha. His mother had to walk me bacx to my house that night! I only lived a half block away. His grandfather was the first owner in my neighborhood with a color TV. Such a a remarkable thing back then! And later, I heard something whicH I thouight would be the REAL ending of the world! Pay For View TV!!!  Ha,ha. It didn't come about till later in my years Thank goodness!     Ken Hinson

Kenneth Reid Hinson

Didn't realize all the typo mistakes in that last "report" ha,ha.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

KEN: Typos don't count after age 60, we do the best we can and are proud you can work a computer.

DENNIS: I don't remember that particular incident but the boy I was dating at the time said his aunt who lived in Chester thought the Cubans were going to bomb Chester. He thought it was a hoot that they would go after Chester before Washington or New York. The two incidents might be related.  Ya know, I never have used those protective techniques they taught us in grammar school about how to save ourselves should the Russians attack us with the bomb.  Oh well, we didn't have enough desks at home for us all to crawl under.

Lewis Whisonant

I remember the air-raid siren incident Dennis mentions. We heard it all the way to our house in Lesslie. I believe I rolled over and went back to sleep. Nothing much of strategic importance around here at that time. I have actually been inside the command center that would command and control a nuclear retaliation strike and posessed the Army additional skill identifier of chemical/nuclear target analyst. Interesting and scary stuff.
 

Marilyn (Lyn) Baker (Jackson)

Bob asked if anyone remembers a group of guys who wore cowboy hats and called themselves "Uncap a Fifth"?

Lewis Whisonant

The group Lyn mentions did exist. I remember a couple of them, but to protect their innocence, I will not list their names.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Speaking of radio shows, Becky found this photo:

Jimmy Vick

Attended several great parties at the UK5 house, several blocks East of Winthrop. Names withheld to protect their families.