tiger

Our friendship is like the beautiful shadows of evening,
Forever growing, till life and it's light pass away....

Lum

by Tommy Calvin Bannister

B. B. Comer Class of 1956

March, 2001

I learned about Lum, in ninteen-forty four.

He worked below, behind the double door.

I went to 1st grade happy, yet, in fear and in awe.

Our rooms were warm, many kids that I saw.

We came to school, from near and far.

To Comer school, some walking, some by car.

In the basement, I saw Lum, a delightful man.

A man of honor, who worked from can't to can.

Went to school, blowing bubbles from our gum.

On occasion we would see him, our friendly Lum.

We went to school, to learn and to have fun.

We were happy, we played and loved to run.

Every morning, long before the bell did toll.

Lum, lit the fire, then shoveled in the coal.

All day long, he worked to keep the flame.

A teach to call the roll, & speak our name.

Lum was always faithful, to do his task.

Even though we thought little, of our mask.

Forgive us Lum, we knew not that we were blind.

Faithful Lum, so steadfast and so kind.

I tip my hat, to this man called Lum.

Serving day by day, he just liked to come.

Now I wonder, what his inner thoughts were then.

Lum was a black man, no need to pretend.

An era of separation: I gave no thought to our sin.

A POEM
REMEMBERING COMER 1956
by
Tommy Calvin Bannister
Class Reunion, June 2001

Majestic Comer High,
the fountain where I learned to dream.
Twas our special place,
we made our way as teens.

A very short four years,
yet forever, or so it seemed!
Love draped in black and gold.
Mem’rys laid down, ream upon ream.

Fellowship ruled supreme,
for each of us most of the time.
Classes were very good,
yet, not all were so inclined.

We talked, studied, and played,
Our Class, we owe a special debt.
Comer molded our character,
a training ground, n’er to forget.

Forty-five years? Oh no never!
That seems so long ago.
For in our hearts,
it still has yesterday’s bright glow.

Echoes of laughter,
rang down through the hall.
Pep Rally Hi,
Our team always heard the call.

The band played our song,
"When the saints go marching in"
Our team stood ready,
to knock and knock for a win.

We won the one that counts,
waxed those ‘aggies’ very good.
A night of memories,
when we all stood and stood.

We won the one that counts,
for our adulthood was soon to begin.
With our huge box of tools,
to the world we did ascend.

Home away from home,
we sang our blessed hymn.
A new home awaits us,
on his vine, we are just a stem.

Now, some have gone on,
we pay tribute to each of them.
Think of them kindly,
for soon,
we may join them just beyond the rim.

Our class was family,
the kind that loves its kin.
We've stood together,
down through the years and then.

The class of fifty-six,
a class unique in it’s blend.
This reunion renews our bonds,
members and guests, come, please join in.

I'M IN TUNE
(A Song for the Universe)
by: Lathan

THE TRUTH WAS ALL AROUND ME
BUT I CLOSED MY EYES AND EARS
I WENT LOOKING FOR THE ANSWERS SOMEWHERE ELSE
BUT NOW I'VE LEARNED TO LISTEN
WHEN I USED TO ONLY HEAR
AND I'VE FOUND THE ANSWERS INSIDE MYSELF

I'M IN TUNE
I CAN HEAR HEAVEN'S HEARTBEAT
IN THE STARS THAT SHINE ABOVE
I CAN FEEL THE POWER OF A UNIVERSAL LOVE
WITH ALL MY IMPERFECTIONS
THERE'S STILL A PLACE FOR ME
I'M FINDING HOW GOOD LIFE CAN BE
I'M IN TUNE

A THOUSAND DIFFERENT TEACHERS
TRIED TO TEACH ME HOW TO SING
BUT NONE OF THEM COULD SHOW ME HARMONY
I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER NOW
SINGING IN THE KEY OF LOVE
WITH A DIFFERENT DRUMMER KEEPING TIME FOR ME
I'M IN TUNE

I'M IN TUNE
I CAN HEAR HEAVEN'S HEARTBEAT
IN THE STARS THAT SHINE ABOVE
I CAN FEEL THE POWER OF A UNIVERSAL LOVE
WITH ALL MY IMPERFECTIONS
THERE'S STILL A PLACE FOR ME
I'M FINDING HOW GOOD LIFE CAN BE
I'M IN TUNE...I'M IN TUNE

I’d like to share a story about the Sylacauga Cash Store. A man went in to buy two pairs of overalls for his son. Mr. Hyman Goldberg, the proprietor of the store waited on the customer who only had enough money to pay for one pair of overalls. The second pair was charged to the man’s account.

When he arrived home his son tried on the overalls and discovered that one pair was far too large, in fact rather than two pairs of size 10’s somehow the man had brought one size 10 and one size 16. The little boy was disappointed but the man said he would take them back and exchange them for the proper size in a couple of days.

A few days passed and the family awoke to a bitter cold and rainy November, Saturday. After breakfast they all sat around the old Warm Morning Heater with its glowing red coal fed fire that warmed the whole house. The boys played with their toys or read a book while the parents talked of who knows what.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The mother opened it to find a young boy standing there soaked to his skin, dressed in ragged overalls, a shirt with holes at the elbows, a thread bare jacket and shoes full of holes and dripping wet socks. He asked if she would like to by a Grit newspaper, and added, “ I know ya gotta nickel”. The woman said, “Yes, maybe I have, come in and warm up by the fire”. The boy came inside just as the father returned to the front room. As he saw the ragged, wet clothing he called to his wife to bring that pair of size 16 overalls from the dresser drawer. He told the boy to go to the bathroom, take off his wet clothing and try on the overalls. The man went immediately next door and got his neighbor. When the neighbor saw the boy he went back home and returned with a shirt, a dry jacket and some socks.

The clothing was given to boy to put on. He dressed himself in the new, dry clothing collected the nickel for the Grit, said “Thank you” and went on his way.

A few days later the man went back to the Cash Store to buy a second pair of overalls. Mr. Hyman asked, “Didn’t you just buy two pair the other day?” The man said “Yes” he had and then told the story of newsboy. When the story was finished, Mr. Goldberg picked up a pair of size 10 overalls, handed them to the man and turned to his wife who always collected the money from her little perch in the middle of the store, and said, “There’ll be no charge for these overalls”. I know first hand that this is a true story because “The Man” was my father and Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg were our friends.

Did you ever help make butter?
REAL butter --- in a churn?
It starts in a teat and ends on a biscuit —
It’s a marvelous, mystical thing!

Mama’d set fresh milk aside for a while
And the cream would all rise to the top.
Then she’d scoop it off and into a churn
And the dasher would "THUNK!" and "PLOP!"

Oh, it’d take a while!
And sometimes you’d think
The "thunking" would NEVER stop.
But when it was over, and you took off the cover,
There’d be GOLD beneath that top!

Then we’d scoop out the gold,
Ice it,
And knead it to squeeze out the whey.
And Mama would bring out her wooden mold,
And we’d press in the butter and chill it that way.

It SHOULD seem like well over sixty years ago
When I first toddled down Alabama Avenue
From Oak Street to Walco Grocery Store.

But it doesn’t.
It seems as if it were last month —
Or last year, at most!

Clutching Pop’s hand above my head,
As a few cars passed us by,
I asked a breathless, childish question:
"Pop, why don’t WE have a car to drive?"

I didn’t get an answer right away
(And I didn’t see the hurt in Pop’s face),
But at Walco Grocery, I got a strawberry cone,
And from then on, I loved that place!

Two "Cartwheel Cookies" were just one penny
At Walco Grocery Store;
And you could buy enough "blow gum"
To dang near choke on
For a couple of pennies more!

There were Coca-Colas and Pepsi-Colas
And "RC.’s" and Hippos, too;
And Strawberry and Orange and Grapico,
And Chocolate, with "bottom goo"!

(Y’had to shake that Chocolate up REALLY good,
Or it’d TASTE like muddy water, too!)

My favorite thing was ice cream, though,
And that’s why I’d usually go.

Vanilla was good, Strawberry was better,
Chocolate was just okay;
But, to me, the best was Black Walnut,
And I love it, right to this day!

A "nickel cone" was one BIG scoop!
(You never got cheated there!)
And on really hot days, you had to lick quick,
And twirl the cone with care!

Oh, once or twice, when I had a whole dime,
I tried out the double cone;
But they’re too hard to handle —
They don’t twirl good —
And you get ice cream runs down your arm!

I loved to pump the old hand pump,
And make Shell gas go up
From under the ground to the top of the glass
As it made its pleasant "THUMPS!"

And it was fun to put a "hot patch" on
There at the side of the store.
You’d clamp a patch on top of a tube,
Then light it and watch the show!

"PFISSSSSSSSTTT!" it’d go,
As the line of fire
Burned across the patch,
While white smoke rose
And tickled your nose
And spread into the air!

And now, while memories rise and spread,
And things are like before,

NOTE: James and Pat Ivey Danford are the present owners of Walco Grocery Store. My thanks to Pat for refreshing my memories of the store by sharing with me her extensive knowledge of its history. Joe Bowers was the owner when I first went there in 1936 or ‘37. Thanks to both Pat Ivey and Jimmy Persons for helping me recall his name.

Forty-six years ago this month, in August of 1954, a record was released on the tiny Los Angeles label DOOTONE. It was a one-man company named after its owner, Dootsie Williams. He had started the label a year or so earlier. To say he was on a shoe string budget would be an understatement. A group of teenagers who attended various high schools in south-central Los Angeles and who called themselves The Penguins had already had a few demo tapes for Williams and one record had been released with negligible sales. They were working again with Williams at his home in August of 1954 on some more practice tapes.

It was in this situation and atmosphere that “Earth Angel” was born. “Earth Angel” is often cited as the number one all time favorite among “Oldies” fans and collectors. In countless surveys of 50’s music fans and vocal group enthusiasts, it is invariably voted the #1 love song of the 50’s, almost always slightly edging out “In The Still Of The Night” by the 5 Satins.

To call “Earth Angel” a classic doesn’t really do it justice. It is a masterpiece of simplicity and beauty. Not only is it a great record, but it is important historically because it was one of the first records by a black R&B group that white teenagers fell in love with and refused to accept the inevitable cover versions by bland white pop groups such as the Crew Cuts. That is what helped create Rock and Roll. It’s been re-recorded a million times by different artists, but only The Penguins original version has tat delicate balance of beauty, simplicity, and total romantic innocence.

One of the things that has always struck me about “Earth Angel” is that, like the title, it has a ghostly sound- pure innocence. Records like “Earth Angel” proved that you don’t have to assemble a 40-piece orchestra of professional musicians to make memorable music that deeply touches people. Piano triplets and the intense, sincere harmony of lead singer Cleve Duncan and The Penguins are all that is need for a classic like “Earth Angel”.

All of us have known an “Earth Angel” growing up. A pretty, slightly older girl that you had absolutely no chance with but idolized anyway. I’m not naming any names, but the initials of my “Earth Angel” were Kay Cheshire. When you saw your “Earth Angel” in the halls at school or at the White Midget and she said “Hi”, all you could think of was something like,

So, happy birthday “Earth Angel”, and don’t worry about turning 46. In my memories you will never grow old.

A Tribute To My Mama
by Jimmy Holmes
Mother's Day, 2001

She never said, "Do this for me!"

But I wasn't a troublemaking hell-raiser.
(Though she knew I wasn't perfect!)
I wasn't a boozer or a doper, either.
I didn't "run around with the wrong crowd."
I didn't cheat, lie, steal or slander anyone.
I didn't go around looking like a bum,
Or acting like one, either.
I was respectful to my elders,
Even the ones who didn't deserve respect.
And my underwear was always clean!

That's the thing about being a REAL Mama ---

You don't have to say it!

To Mr. "G" With Love
By: Heather Glosson

A grandpa is someone you hold close to your heart,
Every single aspect of your life, this man wants to be a part.
In his eyes, you exceed all the rest,
He expects you to be a very fair person, to always do your best.
He watched you cheer and rarely missed a basketball game,
He beams as he shows your picture and tells your name.
He came to all the pageants, recitals, and sixth grade graduation
Always glowing with love and proving his dedication.
When this man got sick, I asked God "Why?"
I couldn't understand, there was nothing to do but cry.
Now He's getting better and I know why,
He puts his faith in the man far up in the sky.
I want to thank this man for all he does,
For being the man he is and the man he was,
He's my Hero, inspiration, and #1 fan,
And I hope you have a very happy Easter, G-Man!

Love,
Heather G.

Yet, in an hour, all is done:
The tiny boulders, one by one,
Have spent themselves

Maybe you called it "Skeeter Flats."
I called it "Shanty Town."
If there'd been "political correctness" then,
It might've been "Walco Downs,"

‘Cause it was "down" at the end of Pine Street.
Past the Box Mill and the Settling Basin,
And the shacks were lined up there in the pasture
Halfway to the Lower Spring.

(I kinda thought there were four rows of shacks,
But Jimmy Persons recalls only two,
And Jimmy's so much younger than I,
That I'm gonna say two, TOO!)

They were built at the beginning of "The Big One,"
(That's World War II, for you young'uns!)
When Avondale needed more workers
To meet Uncle Sam's demands.

And demand, he did!
And times were good.
And Shanty Town filled up with folks
From in town and out of town and everywhere around for miles!

One day we were riding there,
Toward the pumphouse near the creek,
When a mean dog jumped down off a porch
And tore right into Pop's knee.

His owner, meanwhile, sat with a smirk
And rocked in his rocking chair,
Enjoying the show and waiting for more —
Just "whistling ‘Dixie'" there!

Well, Pop caught the mutt just under the jaw
With the point of his heavy boot,
And Fido did a BUNCH of "full gainers"
And a half-dozen "cartwheels," too!

The man on the porch suddenly lost his smile,
And he rose with a bat and an angry stew.
Then he heard Pop say, "If you come off that porch,
There's something here for YOU!"

ODE TO OLD TEN DOLLARS
By Jabo Craddock

Old Ten Dollars was her name

Stealing that amount-supposedly she gained her fame

She roamed the streets of the village day and night

Mumbling under her breath at everyone in sight

Hiding and calling her name seemed back then to be a game

But the stick she carried and swung was to become her fame

Many a boy she chased at night--laughing as she saw them flee in fright

Nobody ever knew where she laid her head to rest

But when instilling fear to kids in the village she was at her best

Her years of wandering were not prolonged

Upon a cold night in January she met her Swan Song

She was found in the cement ditch beside the park

Where she apparently fell in after dark

The injuries and the cold apparently took their toll

The streets of the Mill Village Old Ten Dollars was no longer to stroll

Whether or not the name she bore was deserved

Old Ten Dollars in our memory is still perserved

In Memory of "Old Ten Dollars"

THE WORDS WROTE IN RED
(A SONG)
By: Lathan Hudson

I TOOK HIM TO BE AN OLD BROADWAY BEGGAR
SO I REACHED OUT TO GIVE HIM A DIME
BUT I HEARD HIM SAY, "PUT YOUR MONEY AWAY…
I'M JUST BEGGING FOR SOME OF YOUR TIME…"

HE SAID, "I NEVER LEARNED 'BOUT READIN' OR WRITIN'
BUT, MISTER, I CAN KEEP THINGS IN MY HEAD"
THEN GENTLY HE HELD OUT A RAGGED OLD BIBLE
'N' SAID, "READ ME THESE WORDS WROTE IN RED…

"CAUSE THESE WORDS IN RED ARE THE WORDS OF MY JESUS…
FIND THE PART WHERE HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD
THIS OLD WORN OUT BIBLE WILL BE MY REVIVAL
IF YOU'LL READ ME THESE WORDS WROTE IN RED"

I DIDN'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS SHABBY OLD STRANGER
'TRUTH IS, I AIN'T TOUCHED A BIBLE IN YEARS…
BUT I COULDN'T RESIST HIS GENTLE PERSISTENCE
AS HIS EYES FILLED WITH OLD BEGGARS' TEARS

SO I OPENED THE BOOK, AND THERE ON A MOUNTAIN
STOOD A MAN WITH SOME FISHES AND BREAD
HE ASKED NOT FOR MONEY, YET HE FED THE THOUSANDS
WHO HAD COME FOR HIS WORDS WROTE IN RED

THESE WORDS IN RED WERE THE WORDS OF SWEET JESUS
WHEN I REACHED THE PART WHERE HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD
THAT OLD WORN OUT BIBLE BECAME MY REVIVAL
AS I READ THE WORDS WROTE IN RED

THEN 'MEEKLY' THE OLD MAN THANKED ME AND TOOK BACK HIS BIBLE
WITH ENVY I JUST SHOOK MY HEAD
CAUSE FOR ALL OF MY WORTH…
HE'LL INHERIT THE EARTH
I SAW IT IN THE WORDS WROTE IN RED
(THOSE BEAUTIFUL WORDS WROTE IN RED)

I DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN
(IN SYLACAUGA WHEN I WAS YOUNG)
a pome by: Lathan Hudson

Something reached and grabbed my soul
In a firm, but gentle way
A tear fell on a printout page
from the web site called Yesterday

Grown-up - we ain't grown-up,
We're just older children now
Using modern tools of ignorance
To relive the past somehow

Thank you Mr. Jernigan,
Thank you Mrs. Dean
Ms. Payne, Ms. Weldon, & those left out
You all know who I mean

Thank you Jimmy, Rusty, Bobby,
The old friends I have found
Jean, Earl, Cubby, Kaycee,
And thank you Mildred Brown

I left my knees on Twin Street
In a weekend football game
Some elbow skin in Dairyland
When a sprocket slipped the chain

Behind a couple in the dark,
Holding hands in front of me
I left my heart at the picture show
When it was light enough to see

As a lifeguard at Lake Louise
I found my heart again
Then lost it to "Miss Big Brown Eyes"
In the two-piece with the tan

Being chased by Old Chief Holmes one night
I cut my leg on a jagged fence
Chief Holmes yelled, "!#$% don't come back!"
Well, I ain't been back since

I'd get beat up by my best friends
(I never won a fight)
But they'd be my best friends again
At the Park Show Friday night

Father Time can carve a canyon
From just a tiny stream
Father Time can make a wish come true
Or waste away a dream

Now I'm reading 'bout the daring deeds
Of the friends that I have known
Father Time sure is a slippery cuss -
Father Time, where have you gone?

Now my dormant past lies bittersweet
Like rain upon my tongue
Cause I died and went to heaven
(In Sylacauga - When I was young)

I was only there ‘cause I needed the class,
Just one stinkin’ credit to graduate.
And if I’d foreseen the trouble to come,
I’d’ve avoided it like the plague!

But it was really just one of those matters of fate,
Something there’s nothing to be done about,
That brought me to Edith Ratliff’s class
And so often got me kicked out.

And, still, things might not
Have gone completely to pot
If not for my very best friend,
Good ol’ Joe K. Davis, Jr. —
The famous "Joe Kilowatt"!

On my first day there, it was clear to me
That Edith and I would disagree
On everything and anything
That ever was or ever could be —
Though at the time the reason escaped me!

So things rocked on from day to day.
I had my fun and she had her say.
And the fuse on the time bomb was lit!

I’d been practicing a lot to take my shot
While Edith was out of the room.
A fragment of chalk launched by a pair of lead digits
Would hit the board with a shock!

It was LOTS of fun, and I got so good
I could hit almost any spot,
Always egged on by appreciative fans —
And the famous "Joe Kilowatt"!

So the fuse kept burning
While we kept learning
Not to say "mooey" for "muy,"
And my buddy, Joe K.
Just kept looking my way
And nodding his head toward poor Edith.

Then, just as she turned,
The fuse was all burned,
And the chalk hit the board with a "POCK!"
And a little white cloud mushroomed from the spot
Three inches from poor Edith’s topknot.

Well, there I sat, with my "poker face" on,
As poor Edith turned with a start,
Then looked around with an angry frown
To see who had fired the shot.

At first, I didn’t know if I’d heard right or not!
But there he stood with his finger stuck out,
And that finger was pointed at me!

My friend! My buddy for life!
The guy whose parents were like my own,
Who’d used my car when I wrecked his,
Whose piano bench I’d got stuck on!

Oh, God, Edith was mad!
She decided to spank my butt.
So she called Mrs. Hare to watch,
But I blurted "I quit!" and walked.

Then, just as I reached the end of the hall,
On my way back to Lake Louise,
I heard a loud "Jimmy!" from behind me,
And turned to see Coach was there.

I’d still do anything for Coach Barton,
And, of course, it was no different then,
So he saved me from myself one more time
By being such a very good friend.

I took my licks.
Then I looked at poor Edith
With a hateful, childish grin:
"I sure hope you enjoyed that!" I said,
Then started to leave again.

But for some reason I looked back
And was really blown away
By the tears that had just started to flow
From those gorgeous brown eyes