John Parker

I grew up in the 600 block of E. 4th Ave. My house, 615, was in the middle of the block & backed up to Lineberger Park, the site of most of my fun & adventures. To the right of our house was a field beneath a high-powered line from which a path led to the park. In the summer, boys, girls & some adults were always walking that way to the park.

There were many kids in that block within a couple of years my age either way, but none in our class. On my block of 4th were Vickie Melton (younger), the Putman boys (Binky & Danny Ramsey lived there before the Putmans), Kay Harmon (’59) & her older sister Barbara Ann, Donna Jo Hanes (3 or 4 years older), Bobby (’59) & Sonny Dixon, Elaine Porter (’62) & her older sister Jean, Ronald (Hoppy) Long (’61) & his sister Kay (’62), the Vineyards, Gary (’59) & Betsy (’62), and, across Avon St, Judy Maurice (’61) & her brother David lived before moving away during junior high. Within a block each way on Avon were Brenda Blackwood, Billie Ann Bradley (moved away in junior high), Robbie White (’58, I think), and Tom (our class) & Pat (’62) Bradley. On Avon across from Lineberger Park’s baseball field were Bill Bradley (’58) and Jim Bumgardner. On 7th were three younger girls (’62) girls --- Flicka Grindstaff, Diane Harney & Vickie Huffstetler plus Doug Smith & his brothers. Across Chestnut on 7th were a couple of girls from our class Luvina Stroupe & Jane Boyce (who moved in junior high) & beyond them somewhere the Gordon & McGee girls --- Gayle & Diane, Phyllis & Ally. On Chestnut across from the park, were the Lineberger twins (’58), Judy & Johnny. The reason for the census is to say that some of us were always at Lineberger Park swimming, hanging out and/or playing tennis, baseball, football, army, cowboys & Indians; basically staying out of trouble and having fun. Walking to town most Saturdays with the Dixon boys, buying baseball cards, seeing movies at the Lyric, Center or Webb, and walking home pretending we were the guys in the movie we had just seen.

I attended Armstrong Elementary school with most named above. Other school friends were Larry Marchant, Terry Haefner, and Phyllis Nivens. Highlights of my years at Armstrong were skipping the 2nd grade, nearly nearly cutting my leg in two on an upturned broken Coca-Cola bottle during Christmas in the third grade, reading The Iliad in the 5th grade and teachers Glenn Rowland & Mrs. Bruce McLean (also the principal).

Jim Bumgardner & I seemed to be everywhere together --- at the park, in school, in church (Armstrong Memorial Presbyterian), and playing little league baseball & football.

JUNIOR HIGH

Things I remember about Wray Junior High…7th grade when Jim B, Jim Belton, Betty Funderburk & I were the same height, when Craig Hughes urged me to get Sandy Cooper’s attention by grabbing the scissors out of her lap, when Craig & Ronny Dill threw me high into the air & I landed not on my feet but on my rump with my arm under it resulting a compound fracture of my wrist (part of the bone sticking into the ground) & wearing a cast for 6 weeks…8th grade – riding in a car with Jane Francum & others on a field trip to WBTV in Charlotte & picking nicknames for each other out of the dictionary (to this day, Jane is still Corset to me & hopefully I am still Mason to her), our 8th grade trip to Charleston when our bus scraped the railing on the Cooper River bridge while taking us to the Isle of Palms (I’m pretty sure I was sitting beside Adrienne Cleere & one of us screamed and grabbed the hand of the other…but who knows)…9th grade – French class with Larry Williams & Bonnie Norris (still on the pedestal) & Miss Woodall(?) who Larry always said couldn’t write on the blackboard because a certain part of her anatomy would erase what she had written as she moved along the board, being enthralled at the beauty of Carol Stradley, Christine Roe & Doll Smith, and walking home with Jim B, Ronnie Cloer & others & stopping at a store (Bakers?) to get cokes & peanuts. The words of our 9th grade PE coach who told us, “You are as good as anyone else but you are not better than anyone else”. Words that have stayed with me.

10th grade: Falling in love daily with about every girl in my classes…the first of three years with Dennis Parker in my homeroom, starting work at Kennedy’s Drug Store as a soda jerk which I continued for three years, Miss Cash’s French class in the crow’s nest with Doris Goodnight, Penny Caldwell, Judy Kenley, Larry Ledford, Connie Strange, Jan McQuere, et all, football games & going to the 1st Methodist church youth center afterwards with Jim B, Ronnie Cloer & others.

11th grade: Mrs.Taylor’s (English), Mr. Moffet’s (Chemistry) & Mr. Tester’s (Geometry) classes. Mrs. Taylor telling me that she would knok my teeth down my throat if I didn’t turn around in my desk & shut up. DeMolay meetings (Rainbow girls) & trips. Mr. Sinclair’s unruly homeroom (certainly, I had nothing to do with that.). Double dating with Ronnie Cloer or Doug Owen. Having a wreck the first day I got my driver’s permit.

12th grade: Going steady with Joyce Goodnight for most of the year. JILL LITTLEFFIELD! Junior Civitan club – friends, convention at New Bern, “New Bern Tails”, “Martha Hartha Huggin Muggin” Club. Darkroom talks alone with Melba Andrews in Mr. Tester’s Physics class. “Fingers” Nelson’s trig class Winning an Albert G. Myers’ Scholarship. Hitchhiking to Ocean Drive with Larry Ledford on the night we graduated, leaving at midnight.

Published a book of poetry, Soul Soaring, in April 2012

UNC...years in Heaven. Graduating in 3 1/2 years because, after my first summer, I didn't want to leave for the summer. Freshman year in Cobb Dorm with fellow but older Gastonians across the hall (Bill Sayers, Jon Parish & Rober Ragan) & next door (Bill Whisnant & Ric Stapleton). Walt Long & Henry Thomason were down the hall. Many others hung out there (Ledford, Blackwell, etc.). Learned to play Bridge & played a lot. Frank McGuire's last year & Dean Smith's first years. Terrible football teams except for the '63 team. Majoring in Business Statistics (one of 2 or 3). Occasionally going to class. Old South class of Fletcher Green. Met my wife, Judith, in library at UNC-G while waiting for Bill Whisnant & ride back to Chapel Hill. Thanks to Jane Corsett Francum for introducing us. Lots of other memories that would be meaningless to all you who read this.

After graduating, beginning work as a programmer with J P Stevens in Greensboro (I had never seen a computer). After a couple of years, took a job in Mobile, Ala. (wonderful town) for about a year. When Judith became pregnant for the 1st time, we came back to NC, Charlotte & have been here since. Children born in '67, '71, & '72. In '69 I went to work for a software firm for 6 years, traveling to such exotic spots as Fairfield, AL, LaGrange, GA, Spartanburg, Hickory and Alexander City, AL among others. Went to work for myself in 1975 and remained self-employed until '95 when I got tired of traveling & Judith's worrying about work appearing when I needed it. Until 2001, I worked for a software firm specializing in trust accounting systems for large financial institutions. The firm disbanded in 2001 & I retired except for sporadic work.