The news of the illness of Mickey Sellers, however, puts a bit of a damper on the season. Who could forget that Mickey from our high school days?  Always active and always smiling. He has always been a personal favorite of mine.  Why I would do most anything to get him to let me help him wash the whitewalls on his brother’s car.  Later on we will try to publish some recollections for Mickey.  Maybe we can remind him that after all of these years, we still care. Mickey is taking chemo for lung cancer.  His is still at home so maybe a card, letter or a phone call will help to cheer him.

The new Gusher seems to be moving right along.  We are happy this month to have stories from Moby Manchack, Ronny Walker and Roving Reporter Wanda Wilson Ryals.  Maybe these will inspire you to let us hear from you.  If not, perhaps having to read more of my stuff will move you.

By the way, I still have my "almost shot dead/in jail story" on hold.  My case keeps being postponed and my attorney wants me to save it until I am either in jail or in the clear.  Maybe next time.  I could write more about water-damaged tile, carpet and cabinets but that is not good stuff for the holiday season.  My Branson story will have to do for now.

Redlands to Branson via American Airlines is not fun.  If we had to do this again we would fly into Kansas City and drive rather than Dallas to Springfield and drive.  It is a long and hard trip that reaches the unpleasant level on the propjet from Springfield.  The last I knew those things were going into Jefferson County but small jets have been replacing them.

Our first event of the trip was at the security check at the Ontario Airport.  My multipurpose fingernail tool didn’t make it and granddaughter, Jennifer, age 8, was discovered with a pair of play scissors.  I had read that security had eased on items like these but not so.  I had to stash the items in a bag and go back to curbside to check it in.  Fortunately, a National Guard member accompanied me so that I would not have wait in line again.  The line was the length of half of a football field.

Our stay in Branson involved two timeshares.  One was a townhouse sort of a place that we had bought on the Internet.  This is one of our "sight unseen" purchases that we should not have made.  The Surrey Vacation Resort was nice, clean and served our needs well but it was right in the middle of the Surrey operations which was right in the middle of all kinds of other housing which meant that everywhere you looked there was a building.  We exchanged into the other timeshare,  Palace View by Spinnaker.  It too was very nice facility but since it was located only a short distance from Surrey we did not like its location.  Both timeshares were near the intersection of Route 165 and Country 76.  Next time we will Get Out of Town.

We flew out on a Saturday with Jennifer.  Her dad had driven in with his family from Arkansas. She stayed with them until Tuesday.  This was a great opportunity for him for Jennifer’s earlier visit had been cancelled by the terrorist situation.  Jennifer’s mom, Elaine, flew out on Tuesday the same day that Melissa and her family drove in from Mississippi. Melissa’s children are Brad, age 12 and Katie, age 10.  So, we made good use of both timeshares.

We did three shows all of which included Christmas.  First, the Rockettes were just wonderful.  If anybody can name a more elaborate production I wish that they would tell me about it.  We have seen this Christmas show twice in New York and sure it was great but I cannot recall all of these sets and performers.  The highlights were the Toy Soldiers and the Bears.  We will see the Rockettes again when we are in New York City in mid December so I will give you our review.  I have read that this year in New York you have to use three-dimensional glasses to watch the show.  We will have to reserve judgment.  The only sad part was that this was a children’s show but there were almost no children present. Well, it was Thanksgiving week and Branson is a seniors town.

Our next show was Fifties at the Hop.  Its location in the Wal-Mart strip was a surprise but it fit perfectly.  We all loved the show.  Yes, even the children.  The four female and four male performers were all loaded with talent.  Only an appearance by the real Elvis would have made the great numbers from the fifties any better.  I would not have guessed it in advance but I could have watched this show over and over.

By the time we started out to see Andy Williams, I was just sure that his show would prove to be a mistake.  I have seen a number of over-the-hill performers that were regrettable.  I was thinking that my wonderful memories of Andy would be destroyed.  Well, it started off that way.  He was shuffling about the stage, Ann said at one point that she was sure that he would fall, and his voice was shaky and barely recognizable.  I was thinking OH NO.  Fortunately, we did not get up and leave.  Andy settled down and, with the help of an excellent ensemble, he pulled off a very good show.  His balance and his voice improved but it was his personality that came through.  He got the few children from the audience up on stage to sing and he interviewed most of them.  Then he talked to folks in the audience.  Andy used all of the tired old jokes and phrases and we all loved them.  I don’t know who else could have pulled this off.  At seventy-five, he is still quite a man.

I am sure that we missed a number of top shows and events. The paddle wheel boat was probably one of them.  Our only other recommendation is the Chateau on the Lake.  Ann and I had scouted for the best possible Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet and this hotel appeared to be first or second.  The Big Cedar Inn was not sure that they would be able to seat our group of eight in during the early hour so our decision was made for us.  None of us had ever been away from home for Thanksgiving but this ballroom was a grand setting for a fantastic buffet.  I cannot help but believe that next year we will all be wishing to be back there.  Don’t miss it. It is out by the state park and the fish hatchery.

By the way, part of the Big Cedar Inn, which is owned by the man who owns the Bass Pro Shop operation, is the Top of the Rock restaurant.  Great pizza and the best view on the lake.

Our plans for next Thanksgiving keep changing and we may very well be at home.  We may miss Branson but at least we won’t be stuck in traffic.

Marshall has been asking us to write something for the Gusher.  No problem. I have decided to write about squirrel hunting in the Village Creek woods.

Actually, I did not even want to go but Marshall was so persistent that I gave in and went.  He kept telling me that there was a squirrel in every tree.  I took my Mom and Dad’s brand new ’55 Chevrolet and away we went. 12 Gauge shotgun, 400 rounds of ammunition, and the whole nine yards.  It was only later that I discovered that the real reason Marshall wanted to go to his parent’s creek cabin was because on his previous visit, he had forgotten to take the trash home.  Two-week-old sardine cans will make one throw up – twice.

Oh, yes, I forgot about the old road to the camp.  It had started to rain before we left Beaumont, not just a normal rain, but one of those that comes in sheets.  By the time that we got to the old dirt road, it was covered with water.  I asked Marshall if there were any deep places and, of course, he said no.  Well, we were moving along about two miles per hour when I felt the new Chevy take a downward, sort of submerging, posture.  I said "Marshall, are you sure there are not deep spots on this road?"  Marshall says, "Well, there is this one little creek bed that we have to go through."  WE WERE IN THE CREEK.  However, we were still moving forward and things were not too bad until MARSHALL DECIDED TO OPEN THE DOOR.  He said that he wanted to see how deep the water was.  The water was about a foot above the floorboard.  OPENING THAT CAR DOOR WAS NOT THE MOST BRILLIANT THING THAT MARSHALL HAS EVER DONE.  The inside of the new Chevy was a mess of leaves, sticks and a lot of mud.  I really wanted to kill old Don and I would have but I didn’t want to waste any of my squirrel shot.

We finally got to the cabin.  It really stunk but somehow we managed to sleep there.  The next morning at daylight I was up and ready to go.  Marshall told me to go ahead and he would be along later.  I should have snapped for indeed, I walked for three hours and never saw anything even resembling a squirrel.  As I was sitting on this log looking for a squirrel, I heard the sound of an axe striking a tree so I headed for the sound.  When I got to where the chopping was going on, I saw Marshall chopping on this huge oak.  When I asked what on earth was going on, he said that a squirrel had run up the tree and that he was going to chop it down to get him.  I suggested that we just wait for him to come out on his own but Marshall was persistent.  He asked me to chop a while so that he could go back to the cabin to get another axe.  Marshall never came back.

About dark, I finally felled the big oak and as it fell I grabbed my shotgun and started running toward the top of the tree where the squirrel was likely to be.  There was a tremendous crash and either the squirrel died upon impact or Marshall lied about the squirrel being up that tree.  I don’t ever remember being that mad.  I headed back to the cabin with full murderous intent in my Christian heart.  Marshall was sitting on the porch drinking a root beer.  He asked, "Did you get him?"  At this point I released the safety on my shotgun and told Marshall that there was no squirrel in that tree.  He said that maybe the squirrel had jumped out while I was busy chopping and that besides, his Dad had told him to cut some firewood.  At this point, I began to raise the shotgun.  Maybe it was my Christian upbringing that stopped me because I sure don’t want to go to hell for shooting South Park’s Huckleberry Finn.  However, I still think about this from time to time and, who knows, maybe the next time he comes to Beaumont.

Ronny Walker

When I was in the Texas Air National Guard, my number was AF25996715. Bennie Pattison's number was AF25996714.  I'll bet that you cannot guess why those numbers are so close. Well, it seems as if there was a guy who was really enthusiastic about becoming an Air Force Reservist, who influenced Bennie to go to the Air Force Reserves Post and join.  He said that he could not go that day, but would go the next day.  Well, Bennie went and joined the Air Force Reserves.  That made Bennie's number AF259996714.  This same guy had been trying to get me to join the Air Force Reserves with him.  The next day, he asked me to come by his house to take him with me to join, but guess what?  He was mowing the grass. He could not go because he needed to finish the grass.  So I went alone.  My number became AF25996715.  I am not sure what Gerald Brady's number is, but it is probably AF25996716.  After getting the three of us to join, I think that they coined the phrase:

"SLEEP WELL TONIGHT, YOUR NATIONAL GUARD IS AWAKE."  Most of you are probably wondering what the AF number is for the guy who recruited us all.  Guess what, he never joined.  That probably makes you wonder who this guy is that was so persuasive.  If I tell you enough, you can probably guess.  He became a lawyer and is now a Federal Judge in Beaumont.  I am sure that he is still using those persuasive skills and that he has them honed to perfection.

Moby

Donald Duggin and his wife Iva Ray Purks Duggin (class of 1952) are both graduates of South Park High School.  Donald writes from Mountain Home, Arkansas:

Iva and I married and settled down in Beaumont.  I worked for Mobil for thirty-six and one half years total.  Mobil built a refinery in Joliet, Illinois in 1972 so I transferred there.  We were there for twenty-two years.

I was born in Arkansas and even though my folks moved us to Beaumont during W.W.II, I wanted to get back near my roots and where I was born. Iva and I have 5 children and 16 grandchildren ranging from age 3 to age 27. Our oldest daughter lives in Beaumont, three of our children live in Illinois, and one lives in Nebraska.

Iva has been in the antique business for 20 years. She had a shop in Illinois and was in a Mall here until she bought a building and opened her own shop last year.

I'm retired now. I played in a couple bands in the Chicago area during the Country Western Boom after the movie about Gilleys.  I still play a couple of days a week with a bunch of retired guys. I am Vice President of the Marion County Historical & Genealogical Society and do genealogy research.  I even do a little fishing.

We only live about one and one half hours drive from Branson.   So when you visit there you will be only a few miles from Mountain Home, Arkansas, where we live. Drop by and look over Iva's Antiques...( donduggins@cox-internet.com)

There it is. The life of two that married their childhood sweethearts from SPHS and are happily married, pushing on towards 45th to 50th Anniversary. It is so neat to hear stories like this about those who met in high school and married.   I wonder just how many of you are out there?  Some have lost their spouses like Jo Nell Everett, Evans, (Eddy Evans), Cecil Marie Anderson, Bowers, (R.D. Bowers or was it J.D.?) , Audrey Hebert, Karr, (Rodgers Karr); Glen Kettel (Pat LeJune) and yours truly, Wanda Wilson Ryals, (Kenneth Ryals.)  It would be interesting to hear from you and your story of life together as Greenies.

If you have a story you would like to share just send it to me, "Your Roving Reporter". ( kyrwmr40@aol.com.)    We want to know where you are now and what you are doing.  Send us a note like Donald did and we will publish it for all your classmates to keep in touch.  Don's e-mail address is mentioned above.  Send him a note.  I know he and Iva would enjoy hearing from you. RRWR...