The Last Supper 

Rutherford Class of 1965 - 60 Year Commemoration Dinner

Remarks by Peggy (Gaskin) Rhodes

President of the 1965 Rutherford Student Government

Good Evening –  Wow!  60 years

As I was thinking about what I wanted to say tonight I pulled out my old yearbooks to refresh my memory about the many things that made our years at Rutherford so special.  As I thumbed through the pictures and read all the written comments, I tried to imagine how each of has changed in 60 years.  I’m sure the most obvious changes have been in our physical appearance.  Some of us are larger, others smaller, and there may be a big difference in our hair (both the amount we still have and the color of what’s left), not to mention the changes in our actual structure and physical appearance.  Let me see the hands of everyone who has had at least one bone or joint replacement, dental implant, broken bone repaired, etc.  From the show of hands, very few of our class members are exactly the same as when we graduated.

But, from the conversations I’ve heard tonight as I tried to catch up with everyone, there are some things that haven’t changed and may even have gotten better with age – 

• our laughter seems to be richer, and comes more easily. 

• Our memories must be good because we’re telling the same stories – and, mostly the same way.

• we obviously still enjoy being with each other, 

• and, we definitely still care about our Alma Mater.

And what about all the changes that have happened around us in the last 60 years??

• Do you remember that we used to have several options for drive-in movies? Most notable was the Isle of View (often referred to as the “I Love You” --- some of us even went there to watch the movies)

• Jimmy’s Drive Inn with their Rainbows or the Pepsi with a pink straw? If you don’t know about the “Pink Straw” – I was told it meant the Pepsi was spiked.  I don’t think it was true, but it made for a good story.

• Dragging Harrison Avenue on Friday nights (starting at Hardee’s, going down Harrison, circling the marina, and ending up at McDonald’s, or Tally Ho for 2 Cuban sandwiches for just 51 cents? 

• Gardner’s Drug Store and their soda fountain counter?  

• Moore’s 5&10 in Millville or Christo’s and McCrory’s 5&10  and the smell of freshly popped buttered popcorn when you got near the front door?

• Belk (and visiting with Butch Corbin’s mother)?

• Old South Barbecue?

• Johnson’s Carpet Golf on 15th-

• The Paper Mill’s Drive Through Christmas Scenes?  They may not have been as extensive as the ones at the Boys’ School in Marianna, but they were good.

• The Hangout (it was rumored that during Alabama’s spring break, some students would skip school to go to the hangout – but I don’t know anything about that.)

• Rainbow Roller Rink and the Bowl-a-Rama  (where many of us spent Friday nights and Saturdays)

• Sheriff Lavelle Pitts in Springville?  He loved us and would do anything for us and he probably kept several of you from having juvenile records.)

• Or, being one of the cool kids whose parents let you have a phone extension in your room (who would have imagined that we would now be carrying our own personal phone 24/7 and that we can even read our mail on it, watch TV and movies, listen to Music, keep up with live streaming sports events and even surf the web?

But, the best part about being in school 60 years ago is that it was BEFORE Facebook or You Tube so none of the stupid things we did were recorded or spread all over the internet  for the world to see.

But seriously, Reunions are a time to Re-discover, Re-connect, and Re-kindle old friendships.  It’s a time to remember and relive the outstanding events of that special time in our lives when we were becoming who we are today.  Because Rutherford was a new school that began with a sophomore class in 1961 and then we became the second class in 1962, we had a chance to do many “firsts.”

• Junior-Senior Prom (planned by the class officers but worked on by almost everyone in the class.  Theme was “Sayonara Seniors” and it was held at the Marina Civic Center downtown … red arched bridge over a fish pond, tea house, fortune cookies and ended with a moonlight cruise – we set the standard high for future Proms)

• Ramettes (AKA Pom Pom Girls) came into existence our senior year.   (Brain child of Judy Patronis and included Capt. Marsha Johnston, Co-Captain Connie Plough, Gayle Blair, Susie Crowder, Jan Townsend,  Suzanne Wheeler and others who aren’t here tonight.)

• Homecoming – Yes, we had the first homecoming and Rita Benoit was crowned as Rutherford’s first ever Homecoming Queen.  Rita was also Queen of the Sweetheart Ball our Jr. year.

• As Sophomores, we had the first JV cheerleading squad. – Irene Hagan and Donna Emmanuel were co-captains.  Sally Ray, Delores Watson, Feli Askew and I served with them.

• November 22, 1963 – our Junior year.  I bet everyone of us can remember the class we were in when the announcement came over the PA that our 34th President, John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.  It was a sad day that is forever etched in our memories.  The decision was made to go ahead with the scheduled first ever Bay-Rutherford game and the combined Bands did a heart felt patriotic half time show.  The game ended in a 0-0 tie.

• On a happier note – we elected Roger Dabbs to serve as Class President all three years that we were at Rutherford.  Wonder if Roger remembers that he was also selected as “the Ugliest Man on Campus” our junior year?

•  Then there was the Cancer Crusade chaired by Connie Plough and all those road blocks that brought in $5,000 for cancer research.  We had no idea back then how deeply many of us would be deeply affected by that terrible disease later in life.

• Under the direction of Mr. Melder, we had an outstanding band that was 103 members strong who consistently scored superior ratings at all competitions.  During our Junior year, the band performed in Mobile at the Mardi Gras parade.  Raise your hand if you were part of the RHS band during any of our years at Rutherford.

• There was no shortage of extra curricula activities either.  We had 33 Honor, Service and Special Interest clubs.

• One of the most exciting times of our senior year was the 7-0 victory over Bay High.  It was made possible when Ronnie Freeman ran 30 yards to score the winning and only touchdown of the evening. It was especially sweet since the first meeting of Bay-Rutherford the year before had ended in a 0-0 tie.

• Football wasn’t our only sport – Rutherford hosted annual Christmas Basketball tournaments. We took home the winning trophy both our Junior and Senior years.

• Getting our class rings was much anticipated and we were all jealous when Barbara Braley had hers before anyone else.  Rumor had it that her mother found the mailman on the day they were delivered, picked up the ring and brought it to the school.

• Checking out of school early on your 16th birthday to get your driver's license was a big deal.  How many of you did that?

• It was always nice when members of our class were recognized by others outside of the walls at Rutherford.  Hillman Brannon who played 2nd base on our baseball team was called “One of the Best Glove men in the Conference” by sportscasters.

• Paul Lindsey who played left field voted by the team as the Most Valuable Player for the senior year season.

• And other honors/recognitions came beyond the walls of Rutherford -- Norma Davis was elected Vice President of the Statewide National Honor Society

• Roger Dabbs and Joe Banks were chosen for Boys State and I got to go to Girl’s State. All 3 of us were elected Senators during those sessions.

• Going back to Everitt where many of us first met each other --- do you remember the Sadie Hawkins Dance?  Didn’t Tom Watts make a great “Marryin Sam?”  Mr. Tucker, one of our favorite teachers and who also looked the part, was going to do it but he was an ordained minister and he certainly didn’t want to marry 9th graders.  But, Tom came to the rescue and we all loved him.

• One of my favorite memories is of Bill Cook, owner of the Ford dealership.  He loaned us a brand new convertible for Rambuncious to ride around Tommy Oliver stadium homecoming.  Cheryl Buchanan, guardian and caretaker of Rambuncious, and I did all we could to protect the very expensive new convertible but Rambuncious got excited and jumped against the door to leave a big scratch and though we had covered the back seat, his hoof punctured the upholstery, and he had a bit of an accident inside the car on the back seat as we were getting him out.  I feared I would be paying for that car the rest of my life but when we returned it to Mr. Cook he laughed and said “I can easily get the scratch off the door and the hole can be repaired but I may have trouble explaining that new car smell to the next owner.”

These are just a few of the memories that I have from our years at Rutherford.  Each of you could generate your own list of memorable people and events from those years (and I hope you will as you talk with the others at your table).

All of these honors and recognitions are great but as Maya Angelou put it years ago – “At the end of the day, people may not remember what you did or what you said – they’ll remember how you made them feel.” 

 So with that said, we have to say Thank You to our teachers and administrators at Rutherford and to each person in this room who was a part the Class of 1965 because we all felt and continue to feel good about our years together at Rutherford – and that is why we have come together for this reunion.  Those were special times with special people and though our memories may not recall who said or did what, we do remember how we felt back then and it’s those feelings that brought us back together tonight.