Snoopy....January 20, 2001

Hello Hound Dogs!
There are a few more first time recipients of the Miles' Files on board for our periodic trek down Memory Lane focused on days past in the hallowed halls of Newport High School and happenings in the lives of the Dogs of Yore who walked those halls. The recipient list certainly has been growing in recent weeks, which is wonderful from my perspective. On February 13, 2000 (almost a year ago), the last "Peanuts" cartoon "drawn" by Charles Schultz appeared in newspapers nation wide. Ironically, its creator had died the night before. I have that last "Peanuts" cartoon framed and hanging next to "my chair" at home. It depicts Snoopy sitting at his typewriter and begins "Dear Friends, ..." This cartoon strip began in 1950 as "Li'l Folks" (later changed to "Peanuts") and depicted life as seen through the eyes of Charlie Brown and his friends Lucy, Linus, Beethoven, Pig Pen, the little red haired girl, Woodstock, and dog Snoopy.

The Class of 1970 grew up with this cartoon strip as we are entering our 50th year of wandering through life. Those 50th birthdays will begin rolling around in the fall of this year and carry on throughout 2002. I feel like Snoopy sitting at that typewriter. The same week the last "Peanuts" cartoon appeared, the forerunner to the Miles' Files was sent on February 7, 2000 with the salutation "Hello Classmates" and went to thirteen members of the NHS Class of 1970 informing them of the passing of classmate Becky Scroggs.

Of course it was not called the Miles' Files then (these missives were later dubbed that by Cherry Lou Smith). The messages were continued as a recruiting tool for the Class of 1970's 30th Reunion last summer and since then they have been a small contributing factor in keeping us together in spirit - the Greyhound Spirit. Just as Snoopy typed out the memories of Charles Schultz to his friends (his readers), I scribble out notes on a keyboard reflecting the memories we share as "Li'l Folks" in Newport and the happenstances in life we are experiencing as "grown up" kids today. Well, some of you are grown up; school's still out on the rest of you. It's as if I picked up where Snoopy left off. I don't know about ya'll, but I miss "Peanuts." I'm a newspaper junkie and I begin each morning by reading the cartoon strips first. I can then take on the rest of the news in a vein that is not too serious.

Since the last "mailing" of the Miles' Files (2001: A Hound Odyssey), I have received warm messages from old friends Tim McDowell, Mike Stephens, Kathy Spann, Karen Fortune, Terry & Lee Scoggins, Lee Gardner, Coach Butch Duncan, Betsy McCall, Margaret Ann Gillihan, Jimmy Toler, Neal Pankey, Ann Conner, and Drew Stewart. The untimely death of one of our own (most recently Richard Brand from the Class of '72) heightens our awareness of the frailty of life and the importance of friendship. In the early days of 2001, death has touched our family of Hounds. Cherry Lou informed me that both Eddie Carpenter's dad and Gary Green's dad passed away recently. Just this week, the mothers of John & Bruce Pennington and Harry Mack Adams (all from the Class of '69) passed away.

I was able to get back to Newport on Wednesday evening to attend the family visitation for Mrs. Dorothy Pennington. As I watched the crowd of visitors come through the funeral home to pay their respects, I relived my days of living in Newport (from 1952-1970 and from 1983-1991). I got to spend a little time with littermates from 1970 Mike Brand and Kenny Thaxton there. Mrs. Helen Harris remembered that she did not "spank" many students as the Junior High librarian, but that I was one of those she had to "set straight" with an old fashioned spanking. It must have been a temporary fix. Of course, the parents of many friends were present and seeing them sparked memories of each of you. I also found out that Danny Cordell does indeed read the Miles' Files because his mother told me so. I shed a few tears with Wardell, John, Bruce and Betty. John and I took a couple of minutes to go to my car to listen to Ben E. King sing "Stand by Me" (I have it on CD) just as we had done a thousand times in high school riding around in the Pennington boys' '57 Chevy with it blaring on the 8-track tape player. Oh, sweet memories! Know death to simply be another transition in an everlasting life and go on living in the spirit of the Greyhound.

Cherry Lou also informed me that Mr. Chester Doyle, Mickey's dad, is in ill health and that Buddy Rutledge fell on the ice breaking his right leg in three places while carrying parts for a customer's heating unit. I'm sure all of you will hold them in your prayers. To save face for the Class of '70, I'm telling others that Buddy broke his leg while skiing in the Swiss Alps. Most recent word from North Carolina is that Mary Wynne Parker is making good progress through her second round of chemotherapy treatments although she was unable to take her third treatment of this second round this week due to a low white blood count. Her third treatment has been rescheduled for Monday, January 22. I visited with Joe Black on Friday and his wife Darlene is scheduled for her third chemo treatment this coming Wednesday. Similar to Mary Wynne, Darlene is progressing nicely through her treatment schedule. Certainly these two determined women remain in our daily thoughts and prayers.

I must report that Margaret Ann Gillihan has vindicated the memory of Clay Wright and water in Oklahoma on which I blamed Clay's crazy thinking in her recollection of a school supplies stamp redemption program similar to Blue Horse. The alternative program was Key Coupons, whereby we could clip little coupons in the shape of a key from our school supplies and redeem them for prizes. But, as was the case with Blue Horses, one had to have a gazillion coupons to qualify for the "good" prizes. Thanks Margaret Ann for responding to my plea and for reestablishing Clay's soundness of mind. And thanks to Clay for rekindling fun memories of grade school.

Even though the Miles' Files list has grown from the original thirteen recipients to more than a hundred (61 members of the Class of '70 and over 40 "old Hounds" and doggone friends of NHS), its stories will continue to focus on the silly and the "serious" episodes in the lives of my littermates, our teachers and friends while we were in school in Newport and beyond the kennel. That pretty well includes all of ya'll on the receiving end of this message. I rely on you to keep me posted on the events in your present day lives so I can pass on the news. I have reliable sources (good friends) who still live in Newport who share the Port City happenings with me, but please don't assume I am always informed. Enlighten me! I truly love hearing from you.
I have been encouraged to remind you to register on the NHS website (www.nhsalumni.net) if you have not done so already. It is a great way to locate old friends. We have 48 from the Class of '70 registered on the site. Recruit others who you know to have email addresses and send them my way. Spread the word!

Today marks an important moment in history. An inauguration of a new President in these United States of ours. As George W. Bush takes his place as the leader of the free world, we go on about our daily lives. A tremendously important event, but to me no more important than remembering our friends from the kennel in Remmel Park from which we ran as puppies. Friendship binds us together as an extension of our family. Our experiences together have molded us into who we are as individuals.

What could be more important? I'm reminded of a "Peanuts" cartoon with Linus telling Charlie Brown he had heard that Charlie Brown was going to quit school. As he was scratching Snoopy behind the ear, Charlie Brown responded to Linus, "I'm thinking of giving up everything to devote my life to making my dog happy." As this conversation was going on, Snoopy was thinking, "Just two more minutes... I can turn around and he can scratch the other ear and I'll be happy." Life's simple pleasures! Important? Yes! Snoopy sure wasn't a Greyhound, but he definitely is a spirited pooch. The Miles' Files are certainly not as colorful as "Peanuts," but they will carry on the tradition of watching life unfold through the eyes of childhood friends and their dog pals.

By now, most of you know my propensity to make a short story long. Whenever you get tired, go directly to the delete key, do not pass go, do not collect $200. For those who are first time readers, I would like to know if you wish to continue on as a subscriber (subscription price is FREE - you get what you pay for). Helpful hints as to how the Miles' Files could be better are graciously accepted, but often ignored. Please keep in touch. All of you are forever in my heart. I guess it's time to go home where I can sit with scotch in hand, remember old friends, and make my dog happy.

On life's journey, I remain Miles from Nowhere ... guess I'll take my time ... oh yeah!
joe