In Memory of...

Here is a place to say something about those of us or parts of us who aren't here anymore.

ALICE ANN DEROSSIT

Dora '68: I would like to pay tribute to the greatest teacher I have had. She was one of those teachers who could stay in control of the class and be your friend at the same time. She made history come to life and learning fun. I will always remember her sitting on her stool at the front of the room and dramatically telling history as she held me in awe! Her sense of humor was second to none. I think of her often.

KATHERINE LEFTWICH 1920-2007
Sula '68: A rare, grand person whose sparkling heart and hands indelibly touched generations of young people growing up in Forrest City. So many of us were positively influenced, deeply touched by her involvement in our lives...however small or large. She is and was loved by so many... a lady with integrity, a professional woman, an icon for young people. And so much more. I agree with David Nichols. We will not see the likes of her again -- on or off newsprint. Our hearts are heavy but what a wonderful life to celebrate.

From an Editorial by David Nichols: Times-Herald. 1-18-07
"I have said in conversations that Katherine is part of a vanishing breed — the small town society editor. And she is. But Katherine is more. She is one of a kind, an original. There’s no one else like her, and that’s our loss. She might be succeeded in her job, but she’ll never be replaced. An era is ending, and the Lifestyle page will not see her like again."

As to Katherine's social columns, just one of her many talents, she had a wider audience than many know. When I was in law school in 1980-83 in Fort Lauderdale, I subscribed to the Times-Herald. One day my torts professor picked it up off my editor's desk in the law school newspaper office and thumbed through it. He stopped at one point and sat down to finish reading an article. "Do you have more of these?" he asked. I said sure and he wanted them delivered to him weekly when I had finished. Professor Rooke-Ley is a Hastings (U of CA) law school graduate from a blue-blood, San Francisco society family; a civil rights activist published in one of the Harvard Law Journals. "May I ask what interests you about this small town paper?" I inquired, expecting something scholarly. To my surprise, he responded, "Mrs. Leftwich's social columns. She's simply marvelous." Thereafter for two years I regularly delivered a stack to him. When I graduated he told me he would miss me... and Mrs. Leftwich, too.

http://www.thnews.com/article.php?id=1420
http://www.thnews.com/article.php?id=1392
http://www.thnews.com/article.php?id=1404

Class of 56

Raymond Davis

Class of 60

Butch Ford: The following names are members of the Class of 1960 who graduated or would have graduated with us. Some died well before 1960 and others afterwards. The total of 27 was entered in the reunion document as of February, 2005. Due to my uncertainty as to the married names of the ladies, all are listed as they were in school. There may have been others to be added to the list since 2005, but I am unaware of their names.

Ann Bargery

Elizabeth Borden

Rebecca Canaday

Bill Clark

Marie Cook

Betty June Davis

Marie Dearington

Charles Deere

Bobby Doty

Wallace Emerson

Logan Evans

Tommy Ferguson

Melinda Garrison

Diane Gibbs

Roy Hall

Tommy Higgs

Dorothy Hood

Carrol Huff

Evan Dean (Sambo) Hughes

Mary Bob Lindsey

Eleanor Manley

Joe McCowan

Vernia Mercer

Stevie Stevens

Larry Sulcer

Sheila Sweet

Phillip Walker

Class of 62

Bogie: If anyone knows of more names I should have please let me know by e-mail or the blog. I keep a record in our scrapbook so those attending our reunions will get the information.
Kay Britt, died before graduation in 1962
Eddie Anderson

Bogie: He was one of the sweetest guys ever to graduate from FCHS! He was a friend to all and was always a helping hand to those in need. Eddie passed away in 1983 after a short bout with cancer. We've missed him at every get-together we've had over the years since his death. He'll always have a special place in the hearts of his fellow classmates.

George Padgett, 1983
Richard Trail, 1984
Earnest Adamson, 1992
Leon Presley, 1992
Kenny Bokker, 1994
Diane Clark, 1995
Claude Ramsey, 1997
Patsy Knight, 1999
Thomas Chapman, 1999
Douglas Kimble, 2000
Louise Jones, 2001
Donna Halbert, 2002
Karen Sutton, 2004
Peggy Gustavus, 2004
Patsy Taylor, 2004
Clara Faye Baldwin, 2005
Ricky Stephens, 2006

Class of 63

Francis C. "Binky" Wall, Dec 2006 (Not sure of class, someone help)

Class of 64
Donna Stephens-Schmidt 11/14/1993

Class of 65
Joe Hodges
Bobby Snow Hargraves
Ken Holamon, 1993
Linda Flanagin Jumper

Dora Class of '68: I wanted to say something about my sister, Lynda Flanagin Jumper. I recently saw Sally Bridgforth over the holidays and she told me a beautiful story about seeing my sister in the late seventies at a golf tournament. I will not share the story as Sally may want to do so herself. Basically it conveyed what a beautiful person she was both physically and spiritually. I was fortunate to have had Lynda as a sister. Three grades ahead of me, she never treated me like a tag along. She was always good to my friends and they all loved her as well. There were over 900 people who attended her funeral. African Americans, rich, poor, middle class all in attendance. This was Lynda. She touched hearts of people from all socio economic areas of life. Her love was genuine. She was recognized three years after her death by the American Heart Association in Jonesboro. I was invited to speak on her behalf. It was the greatest honor I had ever had to be able to honor my sister. It is people like Lynda who once again assure me of a Heaven in that the likes of her will always live on. I love you Lynda.

Janya Moore

Dora Class of '68: I would also like to say what a great person Janya Moore was. When I was 15, I had a date with her brother Don to have dinner at her house with Janya and her date along with Amy Devereaux and her date. She reminded me of my sister in that she made me feel so welcome. I had always heard my sister talk about what a great person Janya was and I learned that day exactly why she was. She had a warmth about her that you could feel. When she died maybe a year and a half later, I can remember thinking how a young, wonderful person can be taken so soon. I guess we never know the answer but in the time she lived she left her mark on this earth. Everyone who knew Janya loved her.

Class of 66

Tom Baldwin (not sure of class, someone help)

Neva Jean Gibson, 1989
Warren Lincoln Lalman, 1989 in NYC

Class of 67

J. W. Brock, Jan 08, 2005
Stanley Cothern
Jerry Culver, Feb 21, 2002
Chester Hill, Feb 10, 1969 (Vietnam)
James E. Honeycutt, Feb 17, 1968 (Vietnam)
Aubrey Jolley, June 1983
Mike Jones, 1997
James Edward (Jimbo) Justiss, 1994
Jane Leiting, 1988
Patrick "Pappy" Mason, May 28, 2004
Lou Rice-Douglas, April 10, 2007
Jimmy Robbins, Nov 20, 2004
Bill Sidle, May 28, 1992
Ronnie Spivey, Sept 27, 1987

Paulette Wright-Cothern, May 6, 2001

Class of 68

Gary Dwayne Adams

Gary Christian, 1986

Larry Eugene Cummings, 2005

Harry Siesel Dreyfus

Tom Joe (Tommy) Floyd, Jr., 1991

John Duncan (Butch) Henley, IV, 2002

Virginia (Gin Gin) Jones Wright, 2006

Linda Zell McKee

Thomas Eugene (Tommy) Melton, 1991

Dorothy Mitchell, 1994

Victor C. (Vic) Paseur, 1989

Sula Class of 68: When I was in Mrs. Graham's 5th grade class there was a new boy in the class some of us, especially the girls, were a little curious about. He was of slight build, with sandy, straight hair. He had a slightly dissheveled look, not sloppy; he was almost delicate but not girlie. He didn't goof around with the guys and was quiet all the time with his head leaned over his desk so closely his nose could almost touch it... always doing something on paper. His name sounded foreign. I wondered if he was from France. From time to time I tried to engage him in chit chat and he was polite but not interested. Of course that piqued my curiosity even further. I studied him intensely because there was something unusually exotic or maybe hauntingly shy about him that I couldn't understand.

One day we had to do a round of self introductions to the class..."My name is___ and I like ____." When it came to Vic's turn he said he liked horses. The teacher asked him to hold up a drawing...one of the things he was doing with his head buried on the desk so much. Most of us gasped out loud. He had drawn a horse from memory that was perfectly proportioned with a rendering more mature than some adult artists. I could hardly believe it was his own. But it was. Being a wannabe artist myself from a young age, I was now enthralled. All year I tried to promote a friendship. I found out where he lived (by the old train viaduct) and came close to going up to his house after school to ask for him but never did. I believe Lou was successful in visiting Vic after school and I was envious. Vic just seemed to be serious, aloof and introverted and I didn't know how to deal with that. As the years passed, he and I travelled in our own little worlds which never converged. In high school an art class was offered for the first time; taught by Mr. Isom, our genial, first African-American teacher (who was stationed in a classroom under the football stadium, which was large enough for art projects). Vic's work was always light years above everyone's...I could manage only a very distant second to him sometimes. In college and thereafter from South Florida I would occasionally ask a hometown person about Vic and was told he had become a commercial artist in Memphis. That thrilled me vicariously to hear that...because I hadn't and would have liked to do the same.

Some 20 years later I moved to Memphis in the early 1990's. I thought of Vic and began to inquire around the Memphis art community about him. I wanted to visit with him and especially to see the wonderful artwork I knew he would have been creating. I was so looking forward to seeing how his talent had developed since we were kids; so excited that he had become a professional artist. I was crushed to learn that Vic had died just a few years earlier. They said he was a fine artist and was known among artists in the city. So I never got to know Vic. Whether I could have bridged the gap with him as an adult that I could not do as a young person--I will never know. Vic -- and his talent-- died too soon. In a strange way, it was like a little dream of my own had been fulfilled by his accomplishments...and would be mourned with his passing. I wish I could have told him so before he left.

Thomas Threat

Gary Michael West, 1992

Joe Ed Whittenton, 1969

James Andrew (Andy)Wood, 1972

Daniel Sprott, son of Jan Greene Class of 68: I would like to encourage everyone to remember Jan in the recent loss of her beautiful son, Daniel. He was a very Special person who touched my life in the few times I was around him The family has honored him with a blog and if you take the time to read it, it will warm your heart with the meaning of what a loving family is all about. It is www.danielsprott.blogspot.com. Even if you never met Daniel, you will feel you knew him after reading what a wonderful example he was of what life is all about. Love ya Jan, Dora



Class of 69

Larry Couch

Mike Cureton

Mago Long Nelson

Frank Shackelford, 1979

Sue Sutton

Class of 70
Mike Clark

Jan Holt
Randy James
Ike McCain, 1969
Betta (Bebe) Shackelford Volkamer, 2005


Class of 71
James Childress
Julie Christianson Kleier
Keith Couch
Craig Eldridge
Tom Hoffman
Russell Pettus
Johnny Poe
Frank Shackleford
William Walters
Kathy Whitlatch
Randy West


Class of 73
Ben Harris

Class of 78
Marie Ross, Jan. 2007

Class of 81

Brenda Holmes McClendon

Class of 83

Deedra Rosamond