Chairs Hanging On The Outside Wall ::

Not to mention the lit christmas lights!



I was on my way to the reunion this past Saturday evening when I saw these chairs on the wall of a thrift shop. I couldn't stop then, but I made it a point of going back early Sunday morning. I long ago learned not to pass up a photograph because, more often than not, the scene is gone when you return!

I've been curious after the past few trips to Camden also. Are there any real businesses left in town other that the big box stores like Wal-Mart and Lowes and thrift stores? I forgot about the weekend flea markets! I did drive by the farmer's market and it seemed to be pretty busy, which is a great thing. I live within driving distance of several farmer's markets and I visit them all the time. The food is much better and, more often than not, the prices are pretty good.

Porch Sitting And Times Past ::

From Buster:

THIS IS A ROUGH DRAFT OF AN ARTICLE- NEED YOUR THOUGHTS, INPUT, AND ASSISTANCE. PLEASE RESPOND


RECENTLY THERE WAS AN INTERESTING PIECE OF INFORMATION IN A POPULAR NEWSPAPER THAT STATED THAT LESS THAN 10% OF THE FAMILIES IN THE U.S. HAD A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY WHO HAD SERVED IN THE MILITARY. IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES OF THE LABELDED 'GREATEST' AND 'BABY BOOMER' GENERATIONS THEN THAT IS AN ASTONISHING PIECE OF NEWS.
IN THE SUMMER OF THE 1950'S MANY OF THE MEN IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD SIT AROUND AND TALK ABOUT THEIR WAR TIME EXPERIENCES. DEWITT HUCKABEE WOULD TELL OF HIS PARATROOPER EXPERIENCES IN ITALY AND SOUTHERN FRANCE. DOUG NIMS WOULD TALK ABOUT BEING A FORWARD ARTILLERY OBSERVER IN THE PHILLIPINES AND BILL VINSON WOULD TALK ABOUT INDIA. HOWARD SHUMATE WOULD NOT EAT A BABNANA BECAUSE HE HAD SO MANY IN THE PHILLIPINES. BOB MONTGOMERY WOULD NOT EAT ANY FOOD THAT HAD BEEN TOUCHED BY A FLY BECAUSE OF HIS EXPERIENCES ON SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS AND EVERRETTE BRADY COULD RECALL HIS EXPERIENCES AS A BOMBER PILOT OVER JAPAN.
ONE OF MY REMEMBERANCES IS AS A YOUNGSTER WAS WHEN WE WOULD VISIT ONE OF MY GRANDMOTHERS WHO LIVED IN THE COUNTRY. IN THE EVENING THE GROWNUPS WOULD SIT IN ROCKERS ON AN UNSCREENED FRONT PORCH AND TALK WHILE SHELLING BEANS AND PEAS. THE ADULTS WOULD CHAT AND SIT IN THE DARK BECAUSE THE ILLUMNINATION WOULD ATTRACT BUGS.
OCASSIONALLY THE KIDS WOULD SIT ON THE PORCH AND LISTEN- THE RIGHTS AND PECKING ORDER FOR KIDS HAS NOW SOMEWHAT EVOLVED- AND YOU WOULD SOMETIMES HEAR CONVERSATION ABOUT YOUR GRANDPARENTS FAMILY AND WHAT TIMES AND EXPERIENCES WERE LIKE DURING THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES AND THE OCCUPYING YANKEE DAYS OF RECONSTRUCTION. A KID WOULD HAVE NO IDEA WHO UNCLE NED OR GRANNY MOLLY WAS, BUT THEY WOULD KNOW THAT THEY WOULD HAVE HAD A COLORFUL PLACE IN FAMILY LORE AND LEGACY.
THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF VJ DAY RECENTLY PASSED AND IF YOU DO THE MATH, AN 18 YEAR OLD IN AUG. OF 1945 IS NOW IN THIER 80'S. THE VETERANS OF WW11 AND THE FAMILIES THEY CAME HOME TOO ARE FEWER. EVERY AMERICAN WAS TOUCHED BY WW11 FROM SUGAR AND RUBBER SHORTAGES, TO GAS COUPONS, TO WOMEN WORKING IN INDUSTRIAL JOBS, AND TO FAMILIES RELOCATING.
THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION WHO ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE GREATEST GENERATION, GREW UP ON THESE WAR TIME STORIES AND THOSE OF OUR FAMILY COPING WITH THE GREAT DEPRESSION. THE IMPACT OF THE WAR IN VIET NAM AND THE SIGNIFICNCE OF TELEVISION ARE PART OF OUR LEGACY. EVEN TODAY WHEN I HEAR ABOUT A KID DROPPING OUT OF COLLEGE I FLASH THINK OF THE MILITARY DRAFT EVEN THOUGH IT HAS NOT BEEN AROUND FOR DECADES.
UNFORTUNATELY, MANY OF OUR GREAT FAMILY STORIES ARE NOW FORGOTTEN AND LOST. I ONLY RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT MY GRANDPARENTS DID NOT HAVE ELECTRICITY AND IN DOOR PLUMBING UNTIL THE 1930'S AND THAT ONE OF MY GRANDMOTHERS GOT UP AT 4:00 AM TO CATCH A BUS TO GO WORK IN A MUNITIONS PLANT WHICH WAS LOCATED TWO HOURS AWAY. SHE MADE THIS JOURNEY WHILE ONE OF HER SONS WAS LISTED AS A MIA AND SHE DID NOT KNOW WHETHER HE WAS ALIVE OR DEAD. YOU HAVE FAMILIES WHO MADE SIMILAR SACRIFICES. WE DO NOT KNOW IF WE DO NOT ASK.
THE CAMDEN HIGH CLASSS OF 1965 RECENTLY HELD ITS 45TH REUNION AND THE CLASSES BEFORE AND AFTER US WERE INVITED. IT WAS A MICROCOSM OF CAMDEN AND KERSHAW COUNTY IN THE 1950'S. ONE HAD TO BE STRUCK BY THE IMPACT OF DUPONT ON LIFE IN THIS COUNTY AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A RELIGOUS AND SOCIAL TOLERANCE OF THIS COMMUNITY. THERE WERE ATTENDEES FROM NEAR AND FAR AND THE MAIDEN NAMES WILL BE USED.
WHAT IS INTERESTING THAT THROUGH THE INTERNET MANY OF US HAVE RECONNECTED. DELORES COLE.. AND RICHARD REED BOTH NOW LIVE IN OHIO AND WITH JIM RING IN VA., DIANA ELLIOT.. IN MD., BONNIE NOWLEN.. IN GA., SUZZANE STEED IN CHARLESTON, SANDRA COLE.. IN ALASKA AND ARTHUR HUDSON IN GREENVILLE, THE JOKES AND STORIES FLOW FREQUENTLY. FRED DEATON, WHO LIVES IN ALABAMA, IS AN INTERNET GURU AND HAS ESTABLISHED A CLASS OF 1965 WEB SITE AND WITH THE TOUCH OF A COUPLE OF BUTTONS YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE FOUR FORMER CLASSMATES WHO LIVE IN CALIFORNIA, NEW ZEALAND, ALSASKA OR THREE BLOCKS AWAY LIKE JACKIE LYLES OR JOHNNY JAYNES.
THE LAST NAMES WILL BE EASILY RECOGNIZABLE. THERE WERE QUITE A FEW ATTENDEES WHO NOW LIVE IN GA. SARA LEE KELLY.., DONALD SHAPLEIGH, LEE CARRIER. .......HELEN HARTER ..WHOSE FATHER RAN THE BUICK AND CHEVROLET DEALERSHIPS WHERE PART OF THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE NOW SITS LIVES NOW IN N.C. MARTHA MCMURDO.. RESIDES IN PHILADELPHIA. JAMES WILLIAMS,WHO IS FIGHTING CANCER AND ONE OF THE ALLTIME GREAT FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN THIS COUNTY, TRAVELED DOWN FROM CHARLOTTE.

/// LOOKING FOR HELP HERE ON OUT OF STATERS////

WHAT IS NOW INTERESTING IS THAT STORIES, JOKES, HISTORY, POLITICAL OBSERVATIONS, AND FAMILY BENCHMARKS ARE THE NEW PICNIC TABLES AND ROCKING CHAIRS. COMMUNICATION THROUGH THE WIZARDRY OF SATELLITES IS COMMON AND DAILY. SEARCH YOUR MEMORY BANK FOR A MOMENT AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THE HEADLINES AND STORIES WERE WHEN THE RUSSIANS LAUNCHED THE SPUTNIK SATELLITE. THOSE DEATH RAYS FROM OUTER SPACE WERE GOING TO TURN YOU INTO A CRISY CRITTER.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

Reunion Photographs ::

I've put up my photographs over on the right. Clicking on the thumbnail will bring you to a larger captioned version. Clicking on this image will bring you to a very large file suitable for downloading and printing.

I would like to post as many photographs from other attendees as I can. I've been trying to set up my ftp site to accept anonymous public uploads, but there seems to be a problem. In the meantime you can e-mail me any photographs that you would like to share:

fred(dot)deaton(at)gmail.com

replacing the (dot) with a . and (at) with @. I'm just trying to keep my e-mail address off the web crawlers!

If you have any questions or problems just e-mail me and we'll work out another way to get the photos.

Once again, I had a great time seeing everyone again and I loved the large turn-out!

Reunion Photographs ::

I have my reunion photographs ready for posting here, but there seems to be a problem with my server being down. Hopefully this will be straightened out soon and I'll be able to post instructions for others to upload their images to the ftp server so that I can add them.

Stay tuned!

What Happened To The Flag?

I always looked forward to seeing it as I pulled into town!

Camden High Bulldogs Football ::

1st 2nd(?) game of the season:

Camden: 34
Ware Shoals: 14

I didn't realize that there had been a previous game and I have no idea of the outcome. I'll post the score when I can find it.


[update] OK, that was easy enough for The Google to find the score for the 1st game:

Camden: 28
Spring Valley: 21

Reunion Photographs? ::

I haven't brought this up before, but I've been thinking about it and I'll probably take some photographs and hopefully others will also. I would like to gather everyone's photos and put them together into a gallery of the soireé. I've been trying to work around some issues with my ftp site, but that doesn't seem to be happening, so I'll have to approach this in a different way, but, if you're at the reunion Saturday night and you take photographs, I would love to get them to post on the web site! We'll work out details on getting them to me later.

Hitting The Road ::

We'll be pulling out Friday morning for the 7 hour drive to Camden. Hopefully I'll be eating dinner Friday night at the Old Armory Steakhouse on Rutledge St. and listening to great music from Jeff Norwood!

More Names Added ::

John Jaynes fed me a few more names and they've been added to the list.

Columbia, S.C. ::

Shot March, 2006 on Two Notch Road.



Another scene that is gone forever!

More Names Added ::

To the reunion attendee list.

Michael Varner ::

I asked whether or not anyone had heard from Mike and got an e-mail from Jim Ring with Mike's last known e-mail address so I fired off one this morning hoping to connect and I was successful. Here is the return message from Mike:

Thanks for the message. I wasn't aware of the reunion. I guess I haven't been keeping up with things. What is the date?
At any rate I probably will not be able to make it. Right now I am in Phnom Phen, Cambodia and won't arrive back home until next Tuesday 24 August.
Sorry. I would love to attend. If there is any way to send greeting to my former classmates and friends I would like to do it.
Thanks.

Michael

I just got another e-mail from Michael a few minutes ago:

Thanks for the info Fred. I know I won't make the reunion. My wife was just in SC this past week at our house down on St. Helena Island. Next time I'm out that way I'll look up some of the guys in Camden. I still have a sister living there.
I'm here in Cambodia with Habitat for Humanity building some houses. We've finished up the work and I'm doing some sight seeing before returning home to San Francisco.
Thanks for keeping the Class of '65 connected.

New Names Added ::

To the reunion attendee list courtesy of John Jaynes. The turnout is really looking up now!

[update]Jim Ring just e-mailed me with a couple more names.

A Reunion Invitation ::

Has anyone gotten in touch with Doug Elliott? I thought I had his e-mail address, but I can't find it since we haven't been in touch for a couple of years. He was living up in Rock Hill, so he's close by.

[update] I just got an e-mail from Doug and he will be attending the reunion.

Updated List Of Reunion Antendees ::

Thanks to John Jaynes and Jerry Sheheen I have an updated list of reunion attendees over on the right. I apologize if I misspelled any names, but this came from a scanned hand written list. There were several names which were illegible, but I'm going to try to get some clarification from Johnny and Jerry tomorrow.

Looks like the turnout is going to be pretty good and I'm looking forward to attending.