Kay Manning (Elrod)

Was your coworker's name Mr. Jennings?

Dennis W. Haire

Nope.  Don't know if she was a Jennings before that time or became a Jennings later.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

From Dennis Haire, 1952, about age 4. STILL A BELIEVER! 

"I added a photo from 1952 to my profile. If you can post it, please do. Pictured from left to right - Barry Ferrell (RHHS class of 1963), Dennis Haire (RHHS Class of 1966), Joel Ferrell (RHHS Class of 1966) and Bobby Ferrell (RHHS Class of 1962). Looks like we are all decked out in our Christmas cowboy suits."

Looks like the posse is rounded up to go find that old sidewinder!

Kay Manning (Elrod)

From Linda Greene George.  Thanks for sharing, Linda!  So cute!

Kay Manning (Elrod)

New Years at the Haire home

Left to right - Sydney age 7, Dizzy aka Darby age 5, the old man age 69,  Charlotte age 3, and SoJo aka Josephine age almost 7.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Bonding with step-grand Baby Ruthie, her first Christmas.  She discovered the TV.

Dennis W. Haire

I received a note from chuch (Oakland Ave. Pres.) that Mrs. Anne Carter Shelley, age 89, had passed away on December 31, 2016.  She was the Physics teacher at RHHS while we were there.  Her obituary can be seen at heraldonline.com under The Obituaries section.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Thank you, Dennis, for notifying us. I will post her obituary as soon as I can find it.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

William Lindsay Young "Jenky" SAN ANTONIO, TX -William Lindsay "Jenky" Young, passed away on December 16, 2016, in San Antonio, TX. The 69-year-old Rock Hill native made history in 1964 as part of the original seven black students to enroll at Rock Hill High School, and again in 1965 as the first black student to graduate from Rock Hill High. William received several decorations for his 7 years of service during the Vietnam War. He applied the knowledge he learned in the military to various information technology jobs he held in the New Orleans and Houma, LA areas. He retired in 2008 to travel the country. William was predeceased by his wife, Glenda Taylor Young. He is survived by his daughters Crystal P. Young of Indianapolis, IN and Tanya N. Young of Houston, TX, and three grandchildren (Brandon, Christopher, and Anya;). He is also survived by his mother, Ruth Young of Dallas, TX (formerly of Rock Hill); six sisters (Vera Hardin, Joyce Watson, and Alesia Lopez of Rock Hill; Vickie Young of San Antonio; Bennie Long of Columbia, SC; and Yolanda Reese of Dallas, TX); and scores of nieces and nephews. William will be remembered in Rock Hill at a memorial held on his birthday March 17, 2017. The memorial will be opened to the public.

Not only was William a history maker, he seems to have had a full and interesting life. You wonder what he carried in his heart about his time at RHHS. I hope he had good memories of his time spent there.

George Crow

My memory of William is one of him helping me during my first year at RHHS when we were still on White Street (Is that right street?).  He helped me during the lunch hour with either Chemistry or Algebra--can't remember which.  (Maybe that was the problem: I never did figure out the difference).  A good man.  Proud to be a fellow Bearcat.  Rest in peace.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

CULTURE SHOCK! WASHING MACHINES

Remember the days of “make do, use it up, wear it out” when we considered ourselves lucky to have a washer and a dryer? Clean clothes in a reasonable amount of time and effort was considered a blessing.  Since the purchase of my last washing machine about six years ago, it has been drudgery to wash a load of clothes.  Forget the days when you could throw in that sock you dropped on the way to the laundry room. You’ll just have to wait until the next load. Forget choosing the water level that best serves YOUR needs. Forget drying that load until it’s completely dry. The government regulations now dictate how and when our laundry is done.  Energy efficiency? Not if you have to rinse twice to get the soap out or run the dryer twice to get them dry. 

I was fed up with this washer/dryer and thought I would browse the appliance section at Lowe’s to see what was available, if any positive changes had been made since the last purchase.  All I want is an agitator, an on/off switch, hot, warm and cold water temperatures, and a spin cycle. I want to choose my own detergent. Surprisingly, we always had clean clothes without any of these bells and whistles on the machines today.

There is a reason why the appliance manufacturers stopped making front loaders years ago – they leaked and the gasket molded because of its exposure to moisture during the washing process. They never figured out how to correct those problems and yet they are remaking those machines.  The salesperson informed me that the new front-loaders had to be cleaned after each use with a special chemical that retards mold growth and also required special low-sudsing detergent otherwise it would overflow. They sold the special detergent for a mere $18 per container. Never mind not being able to afford your medications on a fixed income, you might need to wash clothes that week instead. Then you will need the stand on which the machines rest so as to avoid hurting your back in the process of doing the laundry. In all the years of doing laundry with a top-loader, I never once had an unfortunate household injury. Then there is the expense of the chemical cleaner needed to clean the gasket EVERYDAY WHEN THE LAUNDRY IS FINISHED – one more senseless job to have to do. Washer hoses, dryer venting, haul away, and the extended warrantee all were extra.

The top-loaders weren’t much better. There were some models without agitators which made the tub look larger, capable of holding more laundry, but that was a misconception. If overloaded, the movement could be obstructed thus harming the machine and the clothes would not get clean. Some had at least 10 cycle selections and water temperature selections. What is cold versus tap water? The machine I have now has a “hot” selection, but the clothes come out cold as can be when it is finished washing. Maybe that is why you can’t open the door after it starts to fill. They don’t want you to know there really is no hot water selection and if you open the door the truth will be exposed.

All machines had computers and sensors, which means you couldn’t use your own judgement on what best suited your needs.  I guess these washer/dryer manufactures and the federal government with their restrictions on energy efficiency don’t think we are capable of making such important decisions for ourselves – hot, cold, delicate, bulky.  Maybe they are right. After seeing all that is available out there, I am more confused than ever. I do know that I don’t have a clue as to what is best for my needs at this time.

Bruce Morris

I understand youe dilemma. I was shopping for a new washer and dryer just before I was in the hospital for 130 days in 2014. I sent my sister to Lowes with the instruction to buy a top of the lin top loader. No decision on my part. She made a good choice for Mayteg in white (no red, black, stainless, etc.). I set the washer on normal, medium dirt, cold (turned off hot tap), second rinse, use Tide HE (smells good), and get clean clothes. Set dryer to energy savings, medium heat, and it works. No change of settings since 2014. I am either lazy or lucky but prabably just dumb. Good luck on a choice.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Bruce, I really appreciate your comments.  I will go back and look again at the Maytag.  It seems funny that progress seems to be so complicated like cell phones (can you hear me now? Remember when our parents would make long distance calls back in the 50's and everyother sentence would be can you hear me?) Remember when your landline always worked when the power went out and they never blew up?  TV was free and you had quality entertainment on only 3 channels?  Everything today works half as well as the "old days" . Progress today is basically redefined as twice as expensive for half the results. At least our generation has the memory of what quality was. By the way, about washers, my daughter has had a Lowe's Roper washer her grandma bought her 20 years ago. It has been hauled and moved all over Charlotte, to Tennesse, and back to Concord. It still washes beautifully and has had one repair in all that time due to the tub was off center, a minor adjustment. I have had four in the last 20 years. And don't get me started on refrigerators. When we remodeled the kitchen 9 years ago, we moved the old GE out to the garage for drinks. Since then we have had 3 fancy french-door models, freezer in the bottom, door dispenser and no dispenser (the "mother-boards" went out) and yet Miss GE out in garage is still running. We bought her in '87 when we moved into this house.

What model Maytag did you buy?

I hope you are recovering well.

Dennis W. Haire

On occasion, I have wondered what became of our fellow classmates from Emment Scott.  Wiliam was the student that I knew the best.  He was a fellow classmate in Mrs. Shelley's Physics class.  It took a lot of courage to be one of the first black students to integrate RHHS.   He was very smart and I hope he felt respected and enjoyed his time at RHHS.  I know it must have been difficult to leave his friends at Emment Scott and take the step that he did.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Dennis, I agree with you - it took a lot of courage.  I believe James Knox died. I enjoyed his sister Kathleen. She was sweet.  We did try to find all our classmates at the time of the reunion. As you know the women get married, change their names and it is almost impossible to find them.  Maybe one day we can.  Emmett Scott closed in 1970. I always loved the Emmett Scott band at the Christmas parade. They had so much spirit! I imagine they were as sad to see it close as those of us who loved the old RHHS on White Street.

Jackie Kimbrell

Kay, the Whirlpool " Duet " Front Loader Washer and Dryer is the best on the market. Just buy form an aplliance store not  box store, have a set I purchased in 1999. Knock on wood, still runs like new, uses less water, about an oz. of HE Tide or HE Gain soap per load.You buy the soap on sell for about the price of regular soap.  The clothes come out out of washer 75% dry. Run the the dryer on extra low heat for about 45 minutes or less depending on the load. No bells or whisles,just time wash and dry, a bell goe off when the load is fininised. Does have a little mold around the washer door seal, just leave the door cracked a little, no problem. Worth the money in the long run. 

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Hey Jackie, so glad to hear from you after such a long time.  Thanks for the info, will check this one out too.  Your set is 17 years old, WOW!  That's a record these days!! Do they still make the Duet in 2017? I'll check on that.

Jackie Kimbrell

Not sure, but they should have someting similar, even better, ckeck with Queen City or Plaza Appliance in Charlotte, N. C . They were a little prices at that time, but well worth it. Hope everything is fine with you !

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Remember when this was part of our daily routine at school?

Janice Pryor

Oh, my, the marching band.  That brings back memories!

Kay Manning (Elrod)

A few choice photos for Janice Pryor. Janice, can you tell us any stories about being a RHHS majorette? You're looking good in that uniform girl!

Janice Pryor

Oh, my, I actually remember most of those folks!  The parade photo you posted before was an earlier year when Elaine Thomason (? I think that was her last name) was drum major.  I think I am all the way to the left in that photo, but not sure.  I did recognize Sara, Norma, And Janelle, though.

As for the yearbook photos--I remember the day they took that solo shot of me--I had just returned from the dentist and the whole side of my face was numb!  I tried to smile, but you see the result of that!!  Fortunately I didn't try to smile for the other two photos--smart move!!  

Thanks for sharing the photos.   Wish I could remember more specific memories from that time, but they are all pretty general.  I remember it was fun going to the football games and riding the bus to away games.  Oh, I do remember one story about someone losing the bass drum on a band trip but Ned will have to tell you about that.  All I really remember is that it happened and there was something humorous about it.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

A trip back:  Yesterday, I met some friends in Rock Hill for lunch. Having arrived earlier than expected, my GF and I took a little trip around the Winthrop area to see how things had changed.  We went by my old house and were amazed at the growth out Ebenezer Road. When I lived there it was basically farm land, pastures and seemed so far away from civilization. Along the way we passed Mrs Long's (and her son, costume designer William Ivey Long of New York) antebellum home  I saw what I thought to once be Mr. White's (brother Robert) home, and many friends' houses .Our house still stands, and I understand some our neighbors houses are now inhabited by the children of those neighbors.  There was a lot of new construction in the neighborhood since I was last there in the '80's.  One thing we both noticed was the size of the oak trees in the neighborhood, huge trees with massive branch spans and the huge roots bulging up out of the ground.  It has been approximately 48 years since I lived there and these trees alreay were maybe 20 years old.  We headed over to the campus and I had to show her the "castle" where my siblings and I once went to school - Winthrop Training School. There were massive renovations going on, but still the beauty of the old majestic building was apparent. I did not see the fire escapes in the shape of silos with the hidden spiral sliding boards inside which were a unique feature of the old building.  I wish those could have been preserved.  I remember the sound of the hurrying feet changing classes on those old hardwood floors, the echos in the halls, the high ceilings. I don't think there was air-conditioning.  What a glorious structure!  If you ever have a chance to tour the building, please do. It is one of Rock Hill's highlights. It couldn't have been any better than the days it was a school with the beautiful all wood gymnasium and auditorium. Most of those special rooms have probably been reconstructed into multimedia rooms now or partitioned into smaller areas. I remember several of Winthrop's original buildings that had similar historical interest such as the old gym (don't remember the name of that building).  I hope Winthrop and the State of SC will take care of these beautiful old buildings and preserve them for future generations to enjoy. 

Kay Manning (Elrod)

How many years of marriage?  If you can remember, you can join the conversation. We would like to update our golden anniversary people, so please let us hear from you. 

I was married in 1985, so that makes 32 years in July. Becky, how about you and Russell?

Becky Armstrong (Helms)

Well, Kay, I got a really late start on the "official" marriage thing. But, boy, did I luck out with Russell. We have been wed for 12 years this past October.