By Ray Collett

Hello Readers, With July 4th upon us, I think it is fitting to hear from a Marine. David Sliger, (Class of 1954) sent me an e-mail about his early experiences in the Marine Corp. Remember a few days ago, someone suggested that we share our experiences with a floor buffer, here is what David had to say,

"We didn't have buffers to polish the floors of our barracks at Parris Island during boot camp with the US Marine Corps, but I well-remember crawling on the deck, (floor to civilians) and scouring with steel wool and then applying the wax from cans and buffing with towels. Our Drill Instructor would walk the barracks as we stood at rigid attention in front of our racks in the squad bay and God help us if he found one speck of lint, or a boot scruff mark left on the floor. Nothing like a screaming, cursing banshee threatening bodily harm to a bunch of shaved head, scared recruits at midnight over a scuff mark on a floor. According to our Drill Instructor, a scuff mark on his beloved barracks floor was the epitome of failure and the unpardonable sin that could only be rectified by the blood of our sorry bodies. Anything I encountered later on in the Marine Corps paled beside the wrath of the DI over "scuff marks on his beloved barracks floor." David Sliger...Semper Fi David, always a pleasure to hear from you.
Dick Hayes, (Class of 1964) sent an email recently asking to be added to the "Rockwood Memories" mailing list. It keeps on a'growing...I want to share with you Dick's email,
" Been reading your memories about Rockwood. It brings back a lot of memories. I grew up in an area called Tabernacle Hill in Rockwood in the 40's and 50's. Boy what memories . Growing up in Rockwood for me was like a combination of Our Gang, as a young boy, and Happy Days, as a young man, working at the coke plant which Charlie Cole owned and my boss was Pud Monger. Crusing Archie's, The Bounty, and others on a Saturday Night. But getting back to Tabernacle Hill, our gang consisted of some of my best friends, the Collett boys, the Reed boys, the Holland boy, my bery best friend Wayne Kirby, and the Dowkers, who by the way, had a concredte hole filled full of water for all of the kids to get cool on a hot summers day. They also had the first television set in the neighborhood. Mr. Dowker would let Wayne and I ride on his bread route and we would eat banana creme pies. Tabernacle Hill, I remember our football and baseball games at the bottom of the hill, tree houses and clubs. You haven't lived until you came down the hill on a bike and your chain comes off. So many fond memories of friends and neighbors, I could write a book. Well, friends grow up and leave, and neighbors all are gone now, but there will always be my memories of Tabernacle Hill in Rockwood, Tn." And many thanks to you Dick, and welcome to our mailing list...
Let's check in on the ladies...Barbara Hicks Mayfield Loyless (Class of 1955) recalled her early years in Rockwood..Barbara wrote," As for my first job....soda jerk at George's! That was a fun place to work in 1955. Everyone came by for cokes and milk shakes. My first day, my first milk shake, I let the metal container fly off of the mixer. When I surfaced from the mess, there stood the other girl and Doc Smith laughing. He explained that they never showed the new girls how carefully one had to put that metal thing on the mixer, because it was too much fun to watch them get baptized in milk shake. Believe me, I was careful after that. I don't remember everyone that worked there...Sue Littleton, Nanita Green, Mary Nelle Evans, and Jeanette Cline are ones that I know for sure. It was a valuable experience for me and one that I treasure. Doc had a lot of nerve hiring me....I had never worked a day in my life! Oh, we made about $17 a week..." Thanks Barbara, I tell you what. I will challenge you to a duel...I will use the buffer, and you can use the milk shake machine...Bet we could wreck the drug store...
Our friend Pelea Meador sent me a letter the other day and I will share it with you next week...In the meantime, since July 4th, has just passed, let me know how you remember the Fourth when Rockwood had a celebration...We sure need to bring that back.
Until next week.....Ray