| Jimmy Pottorff Tulsa, OK |
Joey,
(I had a moment of total recall and wanted to write and
send a little of this to you and my friends (and others-Ha!)
Just a note to explain some of the history relative to
myself and a few others in Maplewood and to think you
all in Sulphur for a great 50's experience.
In 1952, ( I think that was the correct year), I was in the
8th grade at Maplewood. Mr. Zelinski was the teacher in
Maplewood, whether this was the home room teacher or
whatever I don't remember. He asked for volunteers to
go to Sulphur as the eigth grade was full and the
overflow needed to be sent to Sulphur. Betty Jo Potter
and Sally Linker thought it would be great if we all went
to Sulphur. Like a YOUNG hoot I said great. I agreed.
On the day before we were to go, unbeknowing to
myself, Betty Jo and Sally got cold feet. They had their
mother (I think it was Betty Jo's) to tell and BEG the
principle to opt out of their decision. Like a dummy I
caught the bus and registered in Sulphur.
I left behind a lot of friends in Maplewood who I had
known for a number of years, but because of little league
baseball, I knew Paul Hines, Bobby Vice and others. So I
went on. I didn't feel this was a big deal to go 5 miles
down the road to another school.
As an after thought, I met a number of guys on their turf.
It made me a better person. A number of these I still
remember from the first meeting in Sulphur to the day I
graduated. (between that time and the day I graduated, I
went to three other high schools, one in Tulsa, one in
Hackberry and another in Quincy, California.) In spite of
all these moves and coming back to Sulphur, I hold the
bunch in Sulphur very close to my heart.
Today I am grateful to have made friends with Pie
Sonnier, Bobby Vice, Paul Hines, Bob Loomis, Marlin
Bright (best athlete I ever met outside of Paul Hines),
Arky Levens (for years until he straightened me out I
thought Arky was from Arkansas not Alabama), Noah
Reon, Bobby Dronet, Doug Lanier (great guy married to a
beautiful gal). Tommy Bergstedt, Phillip Andrews (I
remember Philip as a nice guy full of energy), Dale Drost
(I had a lot of good times in Baton Rouge in the 80's with
Dale), Bud Viator (Bud, I still can raise shrimp), Kendrick
Cooper, Jimmy Davis, Jay Koonce, and more and more,
there were a lot of others in Sulphur that I am at a loss to
say tonight but they were all great people.
If any of these remember the PE class where we loved it
to rain and be muddy as we could play "Mudd football".
Then I had the Maplewood group that showed up in our
freshman year. Many years with all of you have been
very nice. Charles Tate, Freddie McLamore, Jerry
Pollard, and many others.
I want to think all of you for a great time.
I didn't mention the ladies as I was in awe or in love with
all of them at one time or another. Betty Jo, Sally, Fay
Morgan, Betty Ledger were just some of those I
remember as Wow! girls. Thank God for the fifties.
All of you have a great day, month and year and we hope
to see you at our next reunion.
Jim Pottorff
(I had a moment of total recall and wanted to write and
send a little of this to you and my friends (and others-Ha!)
Just a note to explain some of the history relative to
myself and a few others in Maplewood and to think you
all in Sulphur for a great 50's experience.
In 1952, ( I think that was the correct year), I was in the
8th grade at Maplewood. Mr. Zelinski was the teacher in
Maplewood, whether this was the home room teacher or
whatever I don't remember. He asked for volunteers to
go to Sulphur as the eigth grade was full and the
overflow needed to be sent to Sulphur. Betty Jo Potter
and Sally Linker thought it would be great if we all went
to Sulphur. Like a YOUNG hoot I said great. I agreed.
On the day before we were to go, unbeknowing to
myself, Betty Jo and Sally got cold feet. They had their
mother (I think it was Betty Jo's) to tell and BEG the
principle to opt out of their decision. Like a dummy I
caught the bus and registered in Sulphur.
I left behind a lot of friends in Maplewood who I had
known for a number of years, but because of little league
baseball, I knew Paul Hines, Bobby Vice and others. So I
went on. I didn't feel this was a big deal to go 5 miles
down the road to another school.
As an after thought, I met a number of guys on their turf.
It made me a better person. A number of these I still
remember from the first meeting in Sulphur to the day I
graduated. (between that time and the day I graduated, I
went to three other high schools, one in Tulsa, one in
Hackberry and another in Quincy, California.) In spite of
all these moves and coming back to Sulphur, I hold the
bunch in Sulphur very close to my heart.
Today I am grateful to have made friends with Pie
Sonnier, Bobby Vice, Paul Hines, Bob Loomis, Marlin
Bright (best athlete I ever met outside of Paul Hines),
Arky Levens (for years until he straightened me out I
thought Arky was from Arkansas not Alabama), Noah
Reon, Bobby Dronet, Doug Lanier (great guy married to a
beautiful gal). Tommy Bergstedt, Phillip Andrews (I
remember Philip as a nice guy full of energy), Dale Drost
(I had a lot of good times in Baton Rouge in the 80's with
Dale), Bud Viator (Bud, I still can raise shrimp), Kendrick
Cooper, Jimmy Davis, Jay Koonce, and more and more,
there were a lot of others in Sulphur that I am at a loss to
say tonight but they were all great people.
If any of these remember the PE class where we loved it
to rain and be muddy as we could play "Mudd football".
Then I had the Maplewood group that showed up in our
freshman year. Many years with all of you have been
very nice. Charles Tate, Freddie McLamore, Jerry
Pollard, and many others.
I want to think all of you for a great time.
I didn't mention the ladies as I was in awe or in love with
all of them at one time or another. Betty Jo, Sally, Fay
Morgan, Betty Ledger were just some of those I
remember as Wow! girls. Thank God for the fifties.
All of you have a great day, month and year and we hope
to see you at our next reunion.
Jim Pottorff
| Christmas 2009- What could be better than a white Christmas? |