 DONNA ALEXANDER -
I received my Bachelor's degree from U of Montevallo in '66, majoring in
Home Economics with minors in Science & Social Studies. After teaching
8 years & becoming an "old-maid school teacher", I married Jimmy Jackson
(Woodlawn '57) in '74. Jimmy traveled extensively in his work &
through the years we have traveled coast to coast, Key West to Canada &
lived for 10 months in Veracruz, Mexico. I received my master's degree
from Jacksonville State & taught for 30 years. Jimmy, a long time
pilot, insisted that I learn to fly in case he had the 'big one' in the air.
I soloed a Cessna 150 in Sept '79 & Jimmy says I flew well enough to kill
myself. After retiring from teaching in '96, I was made an offer I
couldn't refuse from Westinghouse Gov't Services Div of Washington Group
Int'l & have served as Education Outreach Coordinator in the Public Affairs
Dept since that time & thoroughly enjoy the change from academia to the
corporate world. I have 2 lovely stepdaughters, 40 & 38, & a wonderful
grandson of 16 whom I am sure in the near future will be known as "Dr. Kyle
Warren," if not by a number! Jimmy is retired, plays golf, rides his
motorcycle & plays with his other toys. I enjoy my work, golf & riding
on the back of the motorcycle. We have ridden as far as Panama City. I remember the
West End Theater's Sat double feature, serial &
cartoons; grilled cheese sandwiches at the burger grill next door; walking
home to Alabama Avenue; Hemphill School (Ms Bell 1st grade, Ms
Slovenski-Pascal 5th grade); walking with Nancy, Marie, Diane, Kay & Mary
home from school; of course my partial namesake Donna Jean's Candies &
waiting for football hero, Billy Battle, to come by to buy pralines! At
WEHS, thank you Mr. Baughn & thank you Mr Clark (Marie's daddy) for driving
us to school on rainy days in his step-van!
MIKE ARMSTRONG -
I'm teaching in
Los Angeles. Life's been good. Looking forward to retirement &
returning to the South. Roll Tide! I remember Ms
Deliska Skinner, who taught art. Now
there was a teacher! She taught me a lot about Art by letting me be
free to do what was working for me; she was quick to encourage-to push.
Did West End influence me? You bet!
 LINDA
BAGLEY -
After WEHS, I graduated
from Auburn in Elementary Ed & & taught at Hemphill & Graymont elementary
schools for 9 years. I retired to raise my 2 sons who are now 31 & 28
(time really flies doesn't it?) During that time I opened my own day care
which I am still running & enjoying. I picked my husband, Jim Small, up on
the beach in Panama City Beach in '64 & decided to keep him. He graduated
from Alabama (but a big Auburn fan) in accounting & now runs his own
recruiting firm. So here we are after 36 years in Hoover enjoying our
golden years & especially our new granddaughter Chloe. I'm looking forward
to seeing everyone!
 RITA BAKER -
Married Jimmie Ballentine
in '61. He was in
the USN & we were stationed in San Francisco, then San Diego & in
'69 moved to Virginia Beach. We divorced in '95, but God is faithful. I
have 3 grandchildren & work at CBN's "700 Club". I love my
job & love the Lord.
 RONNIE BALLARD -
After WEHS, I attended Auburn to become an electrical engineer. I
went there full of hope fell into the groove of studying every night from
about 7pm til 3 or 4am. I wasn't used to these late hours of study but
would do whatever it took to become a good engineer. This went on til
the end of my 1st quarter when the school told me that Pool, Ping-Pong,
Hearts & Public Speaking (bull sessions) were not part of the engineering
curriculum. This really upset me in that I had devoted a lot of time
to these subjects. This went on for 2 more quarters, then I decided I
needed to work for a year & let them come to their senses. Johnny
Carpenter got me a job with Alabama Power & I worked my "year" that turned
into 34 years with Southern Co. I progressed through many levels of
expertise, finally making the move to Southern Co Services in '91.
That is where I finished up my time with SCS. I met Diane Hardin,
Class of Whenever behind us, & fell in love. We were married in '63 &
had our first child, Yvonne, in '65. Ronald Jr came along in '72 &
Michelle rounded it out (or so we thought) in '80. We lost our son in
'87 & a short time later started working for LifeLine Children's Services as
foster parents. We cared for 15 babies & number 15 was a really messed
up little guy. Over the next year we took him to all kinds of doctors
& never got a good prognosis. We made a decision to adopt him.
Anthony is a fighter & has surpassed many of the things he was told he
couldn't do. Diane & I have been married 38 years & if she comes up
with any more kids, I'm running away from home!
 JUDY BARNETT
-
Very soon after graduating, I married Don Dupree & became a housewife &
mother of 3: Deanna, Donald Jr & Harriet. Deanna 38, owns Kayecee's
Antique Mall & Flea Market in Clanton. Donald Jr's life ended at 16 as
the result of an auto accident in '85. Harriet is married in Houston &
mother of my 2 granddaughters, Hannah 6 & Isabelle 4. I've worked over
the years for several small companies as assistant to the owner. For 2
years I was involved in ministry before becoming the Personnel Officer for
the City of Pelham & have been there 11 years. I met Tommy Milner at
Metropolitan Church of God when we were both single & hurting. We feel
God gifted us with each other & have been married now for 15 years. We
are very involved in ministry at our Church, where Tommy is an elder.
We love being with family & friends, boating, fishing, hunting & something
we call it junking. We get up early on week-ends & prowl flea markets,
antique shops & garage sales, always looking for that neat & unusual find.
We are looking forward to retirement some time in the next few years!
 JUDY BEASON -
In '62 I married Lamar Warren (Ensley Class of '60). We have 2 sons,
both married & living in Denver.
As a result of
our careers, we have lived in several states. For many years, Lamar
worked for Southern Airways & Rocky Mountain Airways. He is now Dir of
Operations for an industrial distribution co. Shortly after we got
married, we moved to Huntsville, Mobile, back to B'ham, then Gulfport MS.
We stayed in Gulfport until Hurricane Camille blew us west to Denver.
14 years later, in '85, we moved to paradise (aka Southern California)
where we now make our home. While in Gulfport, I began my career as a
legal secretary, working in a 3-attorney firm handling family law & general
litigation matters. I now work for a senior partner in a 300-attorney
national law firm defending clients in intellectual property & multi-billion
dollar antitrust cases. In addition to working full time & raising our
2 boys, I also taught many classes & seminars for paralegals & legal
secretaries. I'm a certified Professional Legal Secretary, listed in
Who's Who of American Women in '84. I was named National Legal
Secretary of the Year in '90. (Thank you Mrs. Jones & Mrs. Shell for
those typing & shorthand classes!)
 DOROTHY BECKMAN -
I am living in Pine Bluff AR & have been for the last 24 years. I
have been married 34 years to a wonderful man that went to Phillips High
School. We have 2 children. Amanda is working in Washington DC
for a US Senator & Matthew is working as a national sales rep in Memphis.
I enjoy playing tennis & visiting my children as often as we can. I
have found a great love for gardening. My husband & I love to work
endless hours in the backyard. It's great to be able to re-connect with old high school
friends & see the memories at the West End website!
 TRACY BENTON -
I
have been married for 36 years to Philip Lowery. We moved to Springville in
'89 from Green Acres. We have 2 grown daughters. Kristi lives in Windsor
Va & has 3 daughters. Kim lives in Odenville AL. She has a son & a
daughter. I have worked for the B'ham Police Department since '79 as a
Administrative Asst. I work at the East Precinct & wish I was retired. I
look forward to seeing everyone again!
 ANN BLACK -
After WEHS, I went to Memphis for a short time & then St Vincent's to get my
RN. I married Phillip Kelley in '64. We had 36+ exciting years together.
I became the mother of 3 sons & now the grandmother of a girl & a boy. I
worked as a nurse at St Vincent's for 20 years, retiring in '00. We
traveled extensively in the US & Canada last year. Since Jan 27, 2001, my
life has changed dramatically. Phillip died unexpectedly in Jan '00 & I am having to
find a whole new meaning to living. I really enjoyed seeing everyone at the
reunion. I hope to see more of some of you over the years to come. Friends
are so important.
Life
is not nearly as bright now, but I am a much better & complete person for
having known Phillip Kelley. Read about
Phillip at
1960 Classmate Info.
 BARBARA BOWLING - I
married Kearney Hall (John Carroll '61 graduate) in '65. We have 3
sons (37, 30 & 17) & a grandson 7 months old. Our youngest
son will be going off to college this fall. Upon Kearney's graduation from college at
U of Alabama,
we moved to Atlanta, GA. Were there 30 years until Kearney retired, then
we moved to PARADISE. We live on Sanibel Island, FL & absolutely love
it here. Kearney is a retired
elementary school principal & I am retired from selling real estate.
 Judy
Brown - After being single for 8 years, I married Johnny Feltman in '05. In
'06 we built a house on 8 acres in the middle of the woods just off Highway 41
in Shelby County. We
have a small lake nearby where Johnny catches lots of fish. Johnny & I love long
walks through the woods with our basset hound, Sadie; & we have 3 cats, 2 of
which keep patrol outside on the field mice, chipmunks, voles & lizards.
I have 2 children. Dave is now 37 & has a girl & a boy. Kelli
is 32 & has 2 girls. Johnny has a son & daughter & together we have 6
grandchildren with another one due in summer '08. I am an avid native plant
gardener & am working hard to make wildflower trails around our home. I am an
active volunteer at the Botanical Gardens & earned my Master Gardener
certificate at Jefferson State in '91. I was very active in the B'ham Fern
Society (president for 2 years) & now am president of the AL Hosta Society. I am
semi-retired, having left SouthTrust Bank just before it became Wachovia. I
still do medical transcription part-time at home. Life is good!
 SAMMY BRYANT -
Married
Ann Goodwin, class of '62. 2 daughters, no grandkids. In '70 Ann & I
started the old corporate transfer life. Tampa, Orlando, Greenville, Atlanta
& a two year stint in
Fort Walton Beach, where we thought we could retire as beach bums.
Now living in Marietta GA.
 JEAN
BURTON -
I married the love of my life, Jerry Wilson,
39 years ago. Jerry was a great football player for Auburn, playing
offensive & defensive end from '55-'58. God blessed us with beautiful twin
daughters now 36 years old. Jennifer graduated from Auburn (naturally) with
a degree in Special Ed, Early Childhood Intervention. She taught school for
a while but now has her on business, Heartprints Jewelry Etc. Jeanne was
born with Spina Bifida which left her paralyzed from the waist down.
However that has not stopped her. She has competed in wheelchair sports for
the last 20 years & has been a 3 time World Champion & 10 time National
Champion in weightlifting in her weight class & holds the National record in
2 weight classes. Her motto is "I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me." Jerry & I have had the privilege of being actively
involved in Wheelchair Sports & have been on staff to travel with the USA
Wheelchair Team to competitions in England, Australia, France & New Zealand.
Jennifer & her husband, Larry McCraw, have blessed us with 2 beautiful
grandchildren, Addy 6 & Wilson 3 1/2. My daughters went to Vestavia HS so I
was able to see WEHS's very own "Dick Clark" Coach Short on a regular
basis. I think he is in a time lock, he looks great. He still calls
everyone a "peckerwood." It has been fun reading everyone's memories. I remember the sock hops in the gym, dances at
Boutwell, Duke & Joe Rumor, Grady Pruitt (he had the radio show where we
went up & took requests), Sky Castle, Hobbs drugstore & sour lime drinks,
Constantine's & curb service, Holiday Beach & the "Bop" (did everyone learn
holding on to a door knob or the fridge?) Thanks to all who have put the
time in getting the web site together. You have done an excellent job.
 DENNIS CARLISLE -
Patsy Haynie & I married in '63 & just celebrated our
38th anniv. After WEHS, I attended Auburn & Patsy attended Nursing School,
graduated in '64 & postponed her career as an RN until after the birth of
our first daughter in '65, who is also an RN & married to an attorney.
They live in Atlanta & have given us 2 granddaughters. We went on to have a
son (Dennis, Jr.) who is in partnership with his dad & is married with a
daughter & step-son. Our 3rd child, daughter, is Reg Sales Mgr for a
pathology lab & lives in B'ham. I am in Commercial & Residential
construction (The Carlisle Corporation). Been in this business since
'69 & built numerous WEHS grads new homes & businesses. We see several
classmates regularly as we live in N Shelby Co & there is a group of us
here.
 JOHNNY CARPENTER -
I married
Shirley Meacham '62. We have been married for 31 happy years. We have 1
daughter & 1 grandson, who live in Homewood so we get to see them very
often. I am retired from AL Power after 33 years. I was down sized into
retirement, not by choice. I worked for Sears for 4+ years & now work at
Woodcraft, a shop for wood workers. I enjoy woodworking, the wood turning
lathe in particular, so where I work now is great!
 LARRY CHAPMAN -
Larry
Chapman: May 1961. Married to Shirley Powell '61 in '64. June 4th will be
our 37th wedding anniversary. After WEHS, went to Auburn &
graduated '65. We have 2 children; one is married living in CA & other is
single living in Atlanta. Both went to Auburn. We have lived on Amelia
Island, FL since April '93.
 NANCY CLARK -
I have been married 36
years to Donald Russell. He's originally from WV & is a retired Asst
District Atty. I'm currently working Flex (part-time) as an RN in the
Neonatal Intensive Care unit at Medical Center East in B'ham. We have lived
in Trussville for 26 years. My daughter will be 32 in Oct & we have 3
grandsons ages 8, 5 & 3. She & her husband live across the street from us &
it is great to see or talk to our grandkids every day.
 MARIE CLARKE -
3
weeks after graduation, I went to work at AL Telco Credit Union. In '66 I
met & married Bobby Williams (aka Harvey Williams) from Oxford AL. In
'73 our daughter, Amy was born & I left work to raise a family. In
'75, our son Clarke came along. When he started school, I went back to
work as a secretary for 5 years at the B'ham Baptist Assn. I left
there to become Financial Secretary at Woodlawn Baptist Church where I
worked for 13 years, then moved to Bookkeeper at Sounds Great Stereo where I
keep up with financial work for 4 stores. I am just in heaven with so
much bookkeeping to do & love going to work every day. Harvey worked for
the State Highway Dept when I met him, running people out of their houses
for the freeway to come through, but he left in '75 to go into full-time
deaf work. He is now a private practice Interpreter for the Deaf.
Amy earned her Masters degree at UAB last summer (2000) & is now an Athletic
Trainer working with all the sports teams at Chelsea High School & B'ham
Steeldogs Football team. Clarke is at Auburn where he is the vocalist
for the Auburn Knights Orchestra & Going Down Swinging (a swing band). He
is studying radio, television & film. My sisters: Linda is in Monroe
GA, Myrl is in Grant FL & Gene is in Social Circle GA.
I remember working the in the Junior Achievement Bank & being a marshal in
the halls. I was so timid I wasn’t sure what I would do if someone
came by without an "okey", but fortunately that never happened. I also
remember catching my fingers in the mixer in Foods class because the person
who used it before me left it plugged in. Billie Jo Ulmer was the only one
hollering so everyone thought she was the one who was hurt. By the
time I got back to school the next day, the rumor was that I had caught my
hand in a meat grinder!
 MIKE COLLINS -
Graduated from U of Montevallo in '64. Did
internship at Carraway, worked there 9 years. Moved to Selma, worked as lab manager/assist. administrator at a hospital there. Came back to B'ham in
'90 where I have lived since. Have been an evening shift coordinator at Dynacare/Labsouth
11 years. Divorced, single father of 3 lovely girls & grandfather of 2 girls. I work at fun as much as I work at work. See few of my classmates at Magic City Boppers parties. There were 3 Mike Collins at WEHS when I
attended. I am the one that was blackheaded (now grey) & was voted Future Big Shot. I always get a laugh out of that. I really wanted to be best dancer .. Wayne. Look forward to hearing from my classmates & going over those days again. A lot has gone under the bridge, but life is grand! I
remember: 1) Mrs Baughan teaching me how to learn history, which helped me
get through college; 2) hanging out with Barry Ellis, Jerry Yaeger &
skipping class once & getting caught; 3) my dad locking me in my room
'til I memorized chemistry equations; 4) that paddle in gym; 5)
the scar on my knee from the "meat line"; 6) the sock hops &
football games; 7) being shy when asking someone for a date; 8) my football
endeavor..boy did I stink, but did a little better at track; 9) the faces
of all of us in what seemed like the hardest part of our lives .. puberty
.. pimples.. 10) my old '49 Plymouth which ran mostly on oil; 11) spring
breaks; 12) village fair at Auburn. Wow, all the hopes & dreams! I guess
we found it was the best of times for the most part, but it seems so
far away..after 40 years yet only a moment ago....
 HAROLD COPUS -
After WEHS, I graduated from U of
Alabama with a bachelors degree in Business Admin (accounting). Received a
masters from Fordham & worked for several companies in accounting management
in Atlanta before serving as a Special Agent with the FBI. Currently
reside in Atlanta & am President of a 14-man private investigative company.
Married Martha Graham from the class of '60. Divorced. Married
Susan, from a small town in TN (all towns in TN are small according to
Susan). Have 5 children & 3 grandchildren.
My best memory is recalling fun times when there was absolutely no responsibility. I equally remember chemistry & always thinking, "what am I doing?" & will
Mr Baughan finally figure out that I have no clue as to what is going on? Grateful just to get out of the class & labs when Buster Patterson saved the day by somehow coming up with the answer book for those lab
problems!
 BOBBY CROSS -
Bob “Bobby” Cross - After WEHS, I attended Auburn received a BS degree
in Mechanical Engineering, ’66. I initially worked in B'ham for Rust
Engineering, then in Huntsville on the Apollo program. In ’67, Jan
Ritchie (Ft Myers) & I were married & this is our 34th year! We have 2
sons, Paul & John, & one granddaughter, Natalie. In ’68 we moved to Ft
Walton Beach & began work for the USAF at Eglin AFB. Currently we live
in Valparaiso FL, about 5 miles north of Destin. I have had a split
career working initially with rocket sled testing. In ’93 we moved to
Orlando & I attended U of Central FL where in ‘94 I received an MS in
Simulation Systems. Since returning to Eglin, I have been working with
3D visual simulation & virtual reality. We enjoy sailing the waters here on
our Catalina 27 sailboat, but are looking forward to retiring soon,
traveling & maybe moving near the mountains of NC.
 KAY CROUCH -
After WEHS,
I attended U of Alabama for 2 years. I quit to get married & didn't go back
to college until '93. During these years I attended many, many AL
football games all over the country. I wasn't a fan, I was a "freak"!
But, I finally grew up & realized that football wasn't nearly as important
as I once thought it was. I resumed my higher education at Samford,
going to school at night & working my regular job in the daytime. I
made all "A's" while at Samford!! Bet that surprises some of you who
were in the National Honor Society! I am so proud of my diploma that I
had it framed & it hangs in my office at work.
I am single again, have
no children, but 4 dogs. I have worked at Protective Life Ins Corp for
37 years. My present job is Security Administrator for our mainframe
computer & I am also responsible for Disaster Recovery Planning. My
mother, who is 92, lives with me in Vestavia Hills. I have lived in
the B'ham area all of my life. I am active in Dog Rescue & Transport.
I am one of the 3 official members of AL Scottish Terrier Rescue Assn,
ASTRA, a 501(c)(3) organization. I spend a lot of my free time
rescuing, transporting & placing Scotties. I will transport any breed
of dog that needs a ride if possible. I am on several Scottie Lover's & Dog
Transport Lists on the net!
I
remember a couple of performers at a talent show at WEHS. There was a guy,
can't remember his name but think it was Robin something, he brought
on-stage his pianist/voice teacher who was blind. I remember that he sang
"Surrey With a Fringe on Top" from Oklahoma, and did a good job. Does
anyone else remember this? Then I also remember Beverly Walters who sang
"Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" from My Fair Lady. She lived in the same dorm as
I did at U of A.
 NELLIE SUE DANIELL -
My
husband, Gene, & I have been married for 38+ years & have 3 children, ages 25,
26 & 27. We are both retired. My husband retired from AL Power after
40 years. I worked for SouthTrust Bank.
 JOANNE DICKEY -
After graduation, I moved to Saltville VA, married & had an eventful life
moving around VA with a high school football coach. Met lots of
interesting people & lots of good friends. I divorced in '86, am still
single & have spent my life educating my 2 daughters & am now enjoying my 2
granddaughters. Kristie & Karla Jo graduated from Emory & Henry College, a
Methodist School, where I worked as an Admin Asst to the President. Very
fun job & since I never made it to Washington to work for "the President",
this will have to do. Ha! We all still live in beautiful Southwest VA & I
spend my time sewing, painting decorative furniture & just having lots of
fun. Church work has always been a very important part of my life. I am very excited about seeing all
of you after so long a time! Come & visit me anytime. Only 2 hours from
Gatlinburg.
DORIS DINGLER
-
I got married in '59 to John Jebeles. We have
3 sons & 2 daughters. I lost my beloved husband in '95, after a 3 year
battle. Have been self-employed (with my husband) since '60 & am now retired
on 75 acres in Remlap, AL. Would love to hear from some of my old friends
from WEHS.
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