 RICHARD BARTLEY -
Well, my life has been
very simple. I went to night school at UAB for a couple of years, until I
was told that my "greetings" notice was in the mail. I joined the Coast
Guard & stayed in for 4 years. I married my next door neighbor, Joanne, the
last year. I left the service so that I would not have to move so often. I
then took a job with IBM & stayed for 25 years. IBM was true to their name
(I've Been Moved or I'll Be Moving). Seemed that I was always being ask to
do a special project & was chasing the next promotion, which generally did
not happen, but I accepted jobs all over the country. I was the key person
on many projects & feel that I made a difference to the computer industry.
I was able to take an early out in '93 & traveled around the country doing
contract work for a while. My official retirement was not until '98. I
have a small farm in Grady, south of Montgomery. We have 3 kids. Karen is
a doctor. Wiley is a professional chef. Nicole is a professional
photographer & the mother of our only grandchild, with another on the way.
 RONNY BEARD -
After WEHS, I attended
Howard College. When I graduated in '67, it had become Samford University.
My senior year I married Judy Campbell, who also graduated WEHS in '62. We
were married 20 years & had 2 children, David & Jennifer. David is in the
82nd Airborne & is stationed in Gainesville GA. Jennifer is a freshman at
Samford. After graduation from Samford, I worked at Hayes Aircraft for a
year. Next was a 3 year tour in the Navy, which brought me to Marietta
GA. After my discharge, I worked at Western Electric while attending law
school. I received my Juris Doctorate in '75 & opened a private law
practice in Marietta in '78. Judy & I divorced in '88. I married Charlotte
in '96. She teaches 5th grade at The Walker School. Charlotte has 2 grown
children & 3 grandchildren. In '97, I closed my private practice & now
represent the Cobb County Board of Commissioners as in-house counsel. Last
year we moved to Kennesaw GA. The house is only 15 minutes from the county
model airplane flying field, a big consideration when looking for
a house. I began building radio control model planes several years
ago after a bad motorcycle accident. No permanent damage, but crashing a
model is a lot less painful than crashing a motorcycle. Life is good. No
complaints. Just trying to get 28 hours out of every day!
 LYNNE BLAIKIE
-
After graduating from West End, I attended
and graduated from Alabama College (now
U of Montevallo) with a degree in Elementary Education.
I taught in Decatur, AL until I
married Ray Freeman from Hartselle. Ray's business moved
us to OK, KS, GA, VA, FL, TN & finally back to Decatur.
I'm still teaching, 7th grade at cedar
Ridge Middle School. We have a son,
Russ, who teaches & coaches football at Decatur High.
My years at WEHS hold some of
my most precious memories. I would love to hear from and
see all the group.
 RALPH BOWLEY
-
I am living in Illinois. Been
elected Village Trustee for the last 8 years. No opposition this year,
the locals just cannot beat an AL boy. Married with 1 daughter living
in Germany. Her husband is a Major in the Special Forces. They
have a son, Josh, my grandson, what a guy. I retired from the USAF
after thirty years as a Chief Master Sergeant. Been retired 9 years &
am teaching accounting at a local college.
 BRENDA BROWN -
After WEHS, I received a
BS Degree in Bacteriology from the U of Alabama in '66. I interned at the old S
Highlands Hosp in B'ham & am a registered Medical Technologist. I worked at
S Highlands, Jefferson Health Foundation & East End Hosp (now Medical Center
East). I have been married to Doug Nunnelley (Woodlawn '60, U of Alabama) for 35
years. He is a CPA & worked for Ernst & Young, was chief accounting
officer
for AmSouth, then CFO at Colonial Properties Trust. He now works part time
as controller for Thompson Realty at Shoal Creek. We have been in B'ham
except for two years in Atlanta in the mid 70's. We have 3 children, all
graduates from the U of Alabama, all married & currently living in the B'ham
area. Kelly (31) is a CPA & expecting her 3rd child (Jacob is 3, Allison is
2). Kim (30) is a dist sales mgr for Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical. Todd (26)
is director of public equity investments for Harbert Mgt Corp. We love AL
football & attend most home games. Also we spend as much time as
possible at Seacrest Beach on Hwy 30 between PC & Destin. I enjoy tennis,
bridge, reading, needlework & love the time I get to spend with my children
& grandchildren. It has been great to talk with old friends because of
contacts made through West End Online!
 GWEN BRYARS -
I retired
from BellSouth with 30 years service in '94. I am presently doing
contract work for BellSouth through an outside vendor.
 MIDGE
BURCHFIELD -
After missing our graduation at WEHS because of pneumonia, I went on to work as
a church secretary at Central Park Methodist Church for about a year & next
attended school at the University of Montevallo. The death of my father called
me back to B'ham where I worked at Jefferson Federal & then on to work for two
attorneys, Bynum & Bynum. I met my husband, Wes, who was a Navy pilot & became a
mother twice while moving 13 times in 4 years. We left the military & he flew
for Delta Air Lines for over 30 years living 15 years in Houston,
TX. There I saw Wayne Potter in the car next to me at a traffic light in Spring,
Texas & just couldn't get his attention ... next time, Wayne, look to your
left! Now we are retired living in Gainesville, GA on Lake Lanier enjoying our 6
grandchildren. We are so blessed that our daughter & son with their families
live within 40 minutes of us. I am busier than ever doing oil painting,
needlework, writing, gardening, love to refinish anything I can get my hands on
& traveling to see the world. We flew twice to Rome, Italy just for dinner! I
am enjoying being with my best friend, Wes & all my gal friends I have been
blessed with here in Gainesville. However, my friends from West End are my
"golden friends" whom I cherish. Email is a blessing isn't it, as I can keep up
with LaRae, Margaret "Burks" & Anna Abercrombie (Anna didn't graduate with us
but many remember her from Elyton). Thank you, West End, for all the good ol'
memories & how did our generation make it without cell phones? Thank you too,
Mrs Whaley, wherever you are, for the smiles. Now, I can tell you that "Kill
Roy" was started by my brother.
 MARGARET BURKS -
Married Mike
Burrough, '62. Moved to West Palm Beach FL, have 2 children, Steve &
Lynn. We lived in WPB, Anniston & B'ham & were married 17
years. Married again for 15 years & became a country girl living in Springville
AL with cows, horses, dogs & cats. I retired from BellSouth in '91
& have worked off & on since. Have been single again for 2
years
& back to being a city girl. Lynn has a beautiful 10 year old daughter,
Rashae & a handsome son, 3 year old Michael. Steve is married, back in
school & planning to coach & teach & start a family. We all
live in the B'ham area now & see each other often.
 JUDY CAMPBELL -
After
WEHS I began work at
Southern Bell in
the accounting department & what would become a 32-year career. That fall I
began college part time at UAB. In '65 married Ronnie Beard ('62) &
divorced in '88. We moved to Atlanta in 1969 partly because of his duty station at that point in
Marietta &
partly because of business opportunities for me. The move was a major
stepping-stone toward career commitment as I focused on finishing school -
Georgia
State, BS
Psychology. BellSouth transferred me among several departments before I
finally settled in Human Resources. Took time out twice to have David who
is now 28 & Jennifer now 19. They are the light of my life! David is a
sergeant in the Army attached to the 82nd Airborne at
Ft.
Bragg but on
loan (thankfully) as a recruiter to the greater
Atlanta area.
He is engaged to marry Suzanna in April '02. Jennifer is a freshman nursing
student at Samford where she is enjoying dorm life & singing in the chorus.
I loved almost every job I had with Ma
Bell
but in '94 it was time to refocus again. I retired to take a job as
executive director of a non-profit, which I did for 4 years from the office
in my home. This afforded me the opportunity to be available to Jennifer
during her middle & high school years - a period we both thoroughly
enjoyed. Now I am employed at my church managing databases & hordes of
volunteers. Favorite memory of WEHS is Mr
Baughan's chemistry class & memorizing the periodic table, which I still
remembered when David & Jennifer took chemistry. I owe a great debt to Miss
Batey for senior English & her encouragement in learning to write. And who
can forget Mrs Martin, "the verb to be never takes an object."
 PAT CARNEY -
After
graduating from WEHS, I graduating from Auburn with a BS in Business Admin. I spent 2
years in the Army serving 1 year in Viet Nam. After military
service I moved to Houston TX & began a 31 year career with Edison
Brothers Stores, retiring in Aug '99, as a Regional Loss Prevention Mgr. I
moved to San Antonio in '78 & married my wife, Rosemary. We have 1 son
who graduated from Baylor U & is getting his Ph.D. at LSU. Rosemary
was a middle school teacher for 30 years & retired in May '00. I had
been an independent retail loss prevention consultant since retiring, but
have recently started another career as a District LP Mgr for Ross Stores.
LINDA COX -
I left WEHS very early & got married; doubt many will remember me. I would
have graduated in 1962. Wayne joined the USAF & we moved to FL where I
finished school. Had no clue what marriage was about. A great thing came
from it though; my daughter, Anne Marie. She won scholarship to Samford U;
graduated Summa Cum Laude & Valedictorian; got full presidential scholarship
to Cumberland Law School. She's now City Attorney for Madison, AL, married
to Alan Lacy, CFO of Intergraph Corp. They have horses & are members of
Hillsboro Hunt Club in TN. I married again to a unique interesting guy
(shouldn't have let this one go; fortunately, we still keep in touch. Guess
marriage wasn't for me though; just happier single, I suppose - a curse or
blessing for the Cox family. Anyway I thank God for all blessings; still
having fine time so far. Presently I'm the medical transcriptionist for
AMSG, PC; busiest medical practice in Tuscaloosa; been there 4 years & love it. Enjoyed the pictures, news & info at West End Online. I'd love to
talk to/see the few I really remember; it'd have to be interesting!
 CATHERINE DILLARD -
After WEHS, I attended Auburn & spent 2 years there having some great
memories there with some friends from WEHS. I transferred to B'ham Southern
& married. I graduated in '66 with a degree in Elementary Educ. We moved
to Montgomery where my husband worked as a syndicated cartoonist. We have 4
children; Christopher 33, an Auburn grad, married & living in Atlanta;
Elizabeth, AUM, a stay at home mom with my 2 precious grandchildren; David
22 yesterday, an Auburn grad in Management Information Systems; & the baby,
Ellen 19, attending AUM. These are my great children & I am so proud of
them. I did teach school off & on for 13 years, but spent most of my life
being a mom & wife. I am very active in Frazer UMC. I volunteer to tutor
underprivileged children & at Sav-a-Life & do genealogy in my spare time.
Also spend 1 day a week having fun with a group of retired teachers.
I feel so blessed for having such a wonderful
childhood in Central Park & West End, & having some great friends. I
treasure these times!
 FAYE DUNN -
I
can remember being in Ms Whaley's class with her episode about the
peanuts. She would line peanuts on her desk in rows & name each one. If she ate the peanut named after you, she liked you. The ones that would
just sit there would be questionable of whether to pass you or not. Of
course, the last choice was to knock you off the desk & you failed! I
guess I was one of her questionables. We will never forget Ms Rakestraw. I
only wished when I was in high school that I would have taken it a little
bit lighter!
 SUZAN FORTE -
I have 3 grown children
& 6 grandchildren. We are all doing great. I have worked at Shoal Creek
for the last 9 years. I live in Lincoln AL.
RAMONA
FRANKS - I have many fond memories of my life at West End High, but
I did not graduate. I married in March of l961, before I was to graduate in
January l962. I just wasn't interested in school. I wanted to get married & have
children. I had a beautiful daughter. I went to Business College & took a job
working as secretary, bookkeeper & receptionist to an optometrist in Five Points
West. I divorced & began to raise my daughter. I met & married my second husband two
years later. Our son, Jim was born in '71. I worked at Carraway Methodist
Medical Center for almost l9 years, first in Admitting then as a Pharmacy Tech
in the Operating Room Pharmacy. In l999, a year after I retired, my
husband
retired after 31 years with U.S.Steel & we moved to Panama City Beach. A year
later Jim moved his family to Niceville & is now a financial advisor in Destin.
Sadly my daughter died in 2001, but left me three beautiful grandchildren, Bradley
20, Christine 18 & Tyler 17. Jim & his wife, Allison have two beautiful
daughters, Julia-Love 5 & Jillian 16 months. My sweet husband of 33 years died in
2003. I have since become involved with the Senior Center & now work part time
in the office. I schedule computer classes for our Senior Members, assist with
planning bus trips & other activities. I feel truly blessed to have made
the wonderful friends at the Senior Center & to have them in my life. I enjoy
hearing from friends & classmates, especially those from Central Park & Green
Acres. I try to visit my Dad, who still lives in Birmingham, at least every
other month. I will always cherish the friends I had & the times we spent
at WEHS.
 JOHN
FRIDLEY -
After graduation, I attended Alabama College (now U of Montevallo) along with at
least 10 fellow WEHS classmates. I joined the Delta Chi fraternity & served as
President of my chapter. I was very active in the Student Gov't Assn & the
athletic club (I ran cross country). I graduated in '66 with honors & a major in
Chemistry (thanks to good ole Mr. Baughan) & minors in Math & Physics. I joined
IBM after graduation along with several fellow WEHS & Montevallo classmates. I
worked as a Systems Engineer in the new field of Information Systems. I left IBM
in '70 & hitch-hiked (back when you still did so) from B'ham across the US, to
the Yukon & across Canada (an interesting 3 month trip where I met many
different types & had a number of unusual experiences). Over the next 4 years I
worked for NCR, Jefferson Federal & Guaranty Savings & Loans - all in
Birmingham. I joined Price Waterhouse in '74 as a consultant in B'ham & married
Tracy Newman (Mountain Brook, Auburn) in late '74. My work took us to a number
of different places including 4 months in New Zealand. Then, in '78 we moved to
Jefferson City, MO where I worked on a major consulting assignment for 3 yrs
with the State of MO. While there, our daughter Caroline was born. In '80 we
moved to St Louis where we lived for 6 great yrs. While there, I became a
Partner in Price Waterhouse & worked on a number of very large international
assignments in Egypt, Costa Rica & Pakistan. In '82 our son Tyler was born. In
'90 I joined Ernst & Young as a consulting Partner & subsequently retired in
late '02. I now serve as a Group VP with Gartner, Inc. & lead our global
Benchmarking Business. Our children live in Atlanta close by & our daughter
Caroline has been married three yrs (no grandchildren so far). In '03 we bought
a second home in Fairhope & spend as much time as we can down on Mobile Bay. I
remember the great days at WEHS with fondness & look forward to the 2008 Class
Picnic. The education I received at Jackson Elementary, WEHS & Montevallo have
allowed me to have a very successful career working as a consultant all over the
world with senior executives for some of the largest companies & public sector
organizations. Final note, my avocation is still fishing (any kind) & I have
been able to fish in some very exotic parts of North & South America as well as
New Zealand.
 ANN GOODWIN -
Married
Sam Bryant, '61. 2 daughters, no grandkids. In '70 we I
started the old corporate transfer life. Tampa, Orlando, Greenville, Atlanta
& a 2 year stint in
Ft Walton Beach, where we thought we could retire as beach bums. Now
living in Marietta GA.
 EDDIE HIXON -
Received a BS in
Metallurgical Engineering in '66 from U of Alabama. Married while on campus in
'65. Lived in VA for 4 years building the aircraft carrier Nimitz & various
types of submarines. Worked at Republic Steel in Gadsden for awhile, living
in Trussville & Forest Park. Developed land outside of Pell City & called
it Deertrace. Marriage couldn’t stand the hot summer of '80. Moved to
Houston for the oil boom, 2nd marriage in '85 to Twila Vidrine (La Tech
'67). She is from South Louisiana, a different place from what I’m
accustomed to. Worked for different engineering & pipeline companies
building pipelines & offshore platforms, working for Enron, Fluor, Brown &
Root. Foreign assignments in Italy & France, staying a year in each. If I
had the money, I would live in Paris. Never had children. I try to keep up
my grandfather’s house in Plantersville, 20 miles N of Selma & keep having
to go the Pell City to check on Deertrace. I like Houston, but think the
best place I have every lived is AL. I miss AL every day & at times get so
homesick. I’m a computer addict, think I blow too much money on them. I
have always lived in a handyman’s dream & my present home of 14 years is no
exception. I have come to realize that the education I received from
Hemphill &
West End was a good one & feel that I was lucky to go to both.
 ANEDA HOWARD -
Been married to Dronnie
Chandler (Mortimer Jordan) for 37 years. We have lived all over the B'ham
area, but in Inverness for the past 25 years. Dronnie is a General
Contractor & builds commercial & residential. His business is Chandler
Construction & he also designs & draws house plans (CCC Home Plan Center).
We have a daughter, Nicole 29, who married Tom Anspach (Auburn) 4 years
ago. She teaches 5th grade at Lake Park Baptist Church School in WP Beach
FL. Tom is a Mechanical Eng, who owns & operates The Anspach Effort in WPB,
a designer/manufacturer of surgical instruments. They tell us they are
trying to give us a grandchild. Our son, Dustin 25, graduated Auburn a year
ago, where he met & married Christy. Dustin works as a computer analyst in
the MIS Dept. at ACIPCO in B'ham. We are thankful to have one of our
children close. My brothers, Calvin & Charles, along with our spouses, look
forward to seeing & meeting everyone. God blessed us all for letting us
live in West End & know each other. I feel like everyone from West End is
part of my family!
 MIKE JORDAN -
I
worked in Educational TV for 8 years after WEHS, then 2 years at Channel 13
(WPAI back then). I moved to Tuscaloosa in early 70's & worked as a
musician for 5 years, a milk bottling plant a few years, managed an equip
rental center for awhile, got an LPN nursing license & worked as a nurse for
2 years & am now managing a medical equip distributorship. I remember Ridlehoover's BBQ at Five Points West, West End Theater & Spivey's 5 & 10 cent store (now where the
theater was). I remember the big tree out in front of the school where
everyone gathered in the mornings to talk. My friends & I gave that tree a
special significance, reverently calling it "The Tree". Does anyone
remember having a W shaved in the back of their head on the 1st day of
school as a Freshman Rat? I do & I was always grateful to that guy for not
doing any more to me. I was also glad the suspense was over, it had been
the worst summer of my life not knowing what terrible thing was going to
happen to me when I started school!
 JUDY KELLY -
Right after graduation I married Mr Wrong & had 2
children, a girl & a boy. I was divorced by the time I was 21. I had taken
typing so I could get a job with no more education. I became a medical
secretary & did this for many years. I eventually met the real Prince
Charming, Roger Forehand, disguised as a tax collector for the IRS. We
married in '75 & he helped me raise my 2 children & the daughter & son we
had together. The oldest is l7 years older than the youngest. Because of
the 2 sets of children, we had the pleasure of having teenagers in the 70's,
80's & 90's. I eventually returned to school & became a registered nurse at
the age of 45. I have done several things in nursing, but for the last 3
years have worked as the nursing supervision for the Enterprise City Board
of Education. It's the best nursing job there is, regular hours, no nights,
weekends or holidays. We have a nurse in every school. We have lived in
Enterprise for l7 years, Roger's home town. He has been retired for a
couple of years from the IRS & has an office here doing income tax & helping
people sort out their tax problems. Our youngest children are still being
educated. Chris is a senior at the U of S Alabama in Mobile, majoring in
Sports & Event Marketing. Heather is starting her 2nd year at the U of S
Alabama Medical School. She wants to do rural medicine in a small town, but
not Enterprise. I feel that even though I have lived a pretty ordinary life
so far, it is extraordinary in that I have more happy times that sad times.
I have been blessed with a good husband, good children & one grandchild who
is 15. My memories of West End are a little
dulled by the passage of time. The high school here has a student body of
around 1100. It truly amazes me that it takes over l00 professional staff
to educate that many now. The parking lot is huge. The students drive
nicer cars that the teachers. I think about the students a WEHS who were
lucky enough to have cars. I don't remember anything outstanding in the
parking lot!
 JOYCE LAWRENCE -
I did marry that good-looking guy, Johnny Davis
(Ensley '57, U of Alabama '60), the month after graduation & we just celebrated
39 wonderful years. We have 3 children, 2 sons (biological) & 1 daughter
(by adoption from Korea) & have lived in Decatur AL all this time except for
3 years on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. I was blessed to be a full
time mom, then worked for 4 years until caring for my parents became my
"outside" job. Both sons are engineers, graduates of Georgia Tech. Our
daughter graduates from the U of Louisville in Dec & is married to a
surgeon. We have 3 beautiful grandchildren & it's a good thing we love to
travel since our children & grandchildren live in KY & Colorado. Johnny has
retired once & we're trying to decide where we want to live when he retires
again. I feel I've had an incredibly blessed life & I've really enjoyed
reading about what has happened to everyone since I've been so out of
touch. Thanks to y'all for bringing so many
memories back to me. Does anyone remember driving over to cruise around at
Ed Salem's or going to the Spinning Wheel for the best milkshakes? I
remember having to dress up to go downtown shopping & we didn't even wear
pants to school in those days. Having so many movie theaters with the
movies changing so often. The privilege of having so many excellent
teachers, but especially the "mature, unmarried" teachers who were so
dedicated, capable & yet each one unique & special, from Hemphill through
WEHS. Riding the bus to go to the symphony in grammar school & then the
wonderful vocal classes with Ms Sophia Davis. Kick ball, dodge ball,
playing on the bars at "play period" & the lunchroom in the basement at
Hemphill. Hope others will send more good info, stories & memories! |
