Archive for February, 2007
Eagles Fly Into First Final Four
Posted by Glynn Wilson in Erwin Sports on February 26th, 2007
The Erwin Eagles upset No.5 Butler 45-38 in the Class 5A Northeast Regional final to earn their first ever Final Four berth in high school basketball.
The unranked Eagles (21-19) will face top-ranked Williamson (31-2) at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena on Friday, March 2, at 1:30 p.m. in a Class 5A boys semifinal.
Fourth-ranked Decatur (27-5) and eighth-ranked John Carroll Catholic (30-5) will meet in the other semifinal, according to the Birmingham News.
Eagles Fly Into First Final Four
If they win the next game, they will be playing in the finals for the state championship.
“To my knowledge, Erwin has never won a state championship (in basketball), so this would be historic,” said Danny Garrett, president of the class of 1976.
He and Alan Taylor are urging Erwin alumni to support the program and attend the game.
For more information, check out the Erwin HIgh Basketball Schedule.
Stolen Report Cards in Sixth Grade
Posted by Glynn Wilson in Blasts of the Past on February 21st, 2007
Editor’s Note: I don’t know about you all, but I find it fascinating what people remember from the past and how people and events shape our lives. When Dwayne sent me this story, I remembered crying my eyeballs out and watching Ms. Brice, who I had for English in the sixth grade, leave Erwin Elementary for the last time. I had a huge crush on her and she may have been the first teacher who inspired me to write. Remember those black and white spiral notebooks?
GCW
The Class From Hell
by Dwayne Hood
I hated the sixth grade. It was the worst year that I spent at Erwin because I didn’t learn anything. I remember nothing but fear and loathing, angst, gnashing of teeth, persecution … and stolen report cards.
Some of you may have been with me in The Class From Hell. We were the sixth grade class that had three homeroom teachers in nine months. (Our class photo is on this Website. I’m the little kid standing in the back corner of the room. If you look closely, you will notice there is no teacher in the photograph.)
Integration was finally catching up to Erwin Elementary School and some people were not handling it well. We started the year with a nice, young homeroom teacher named Ms. Brice. But about mid-year, she was transferred to another school and was eventually replaced with an African-American lady named Ms. Vann, a sweet, grandmotherly type who appeared to have the best of intentions - but she never had a chance.
Past Obits
Posted by Glynn Wilson in Obituaries on February 21st, 2007
Thanks to the Web Meister for the class of 1978, here are some obits from the past for the archives on this site. If you know of any we are missing, please let us know.
Stan Hagood, Class of 1976:
HAGOOD, STAN, age 46, of Birmingham, Al, died Friday, May 21, 2004. He was a graduate of Auburn University, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. He attended Clearbranch United Methodist Church and volunteered as a coach at Clay-Chalkville High School. Survivors include his daughter, Hanna Hagood of Birmingham, AL; son, Brent Hagood of Birmingham, AL; father, Charles Hagood of Birmingham, AL; sister, Pam Whitehead (Rick) of Moody, AL; brother, Dave Hagood (Rebecca) of Coppras Cove, TX; and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 24, 2004, at 10 a.m. at Jefferson Memorial Chapel with Steve Walker officiating. Burial will follow in Jefferson Memorial Gardens East. The family will receive friends Sunday evening from 6 until 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Jefferson Memorial Trussville is directing.
Janice Lowery White, Class of 1978:
WHITE, JANICE LOWERY, age 43, of Birmingham, Alabama, died May 19, 2004. She was a member of Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church, Chalkville. Survivors include her husband, John P. White; daughter, Haylee White; son, Peyton White; father, Jack Lowery of Birmingham, AL; sister, Cathy Price of Birmingham, AL; and numerous family members and friends. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 22, 2004, at 11 a.m., at Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church with Brother Roger Thompson and Brother Todd Henderson officiating. Burial will follow in the adjoining cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jessie’s Place, Birmingham, AL. Jefferson Memorial Trussville is directing.
Tammy Thornhill, Class of 1978:
THORNHILL, TAMMY, age 43 of Birmingham, AL passed away on January 20, 2004. She was preceded in death by her mother, Myra Thornhill. She is survived by her father, Thomas E. Thornhill, Sr.; brother, Thomas E. Thornhill, Jr.; sister, Tracy Richardson (Chris); nephew, C. T. Richardson, and niece, Cate Richardson; and numerous friends. Visitation will be held on Friday, 12 Noon - 1:30 p.m. Graveside service will be on Friday, January 23, 2004 at 2:00 p.m.
James Wesley “Butch” Yerby, Class of 1976:
YERBY, JAMES WESLEY “BUTCH”, age 45, of Birmingham, passed away January 21, 2004. He attended Eastside Baptist Church. He was a member of the Plumbers Union Local #91. Services will be held Thursday, January 22, at Noon in the Chapel with burial in Jefferson Memorial Trussville. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until Noon on Thursday. He is survived by his wife, Geneva Yerby; parents, Carol Sue and James Yerby; sister, Lisa Rogers; brother, Terry Yerby; stepdaughter, Tiffani Maxwell; stepson, John Bakane; grandchildren, Blaknie and Jacob. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in his name to UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Pancreatic Cancer Research, 2001 3rd Ave. So., Suite 1001, Birmingham, AL 35233. Jefferson Memorial Trussville directing.
A Close Call For Danny Garrett
Posted by Glynn Wilson in Blasts of the Past on February 17th, 2007
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| Danny Garrett |
by Dwayne Hood
I remember Mrs. Schwartz laying Danny Garrett on the reading table. We thought he was going to die.
We were in the first grade and Mrs. Schwartz was our teacher. It was a cold, rainy winter day and school was about to begin when several girls ran into the classroom screaming that Danny had fallen and was hurt. Mrs. Schwartz ran from the room, following the students across campus and around a building where Danny had apparently ran down a hill, slipped and fallen and struck his forehead on a sidewalk.
I remember Mrs. Schwartz carrying Danny back into the classroom and laying him on a table that we sat around for reading lessons. I don’t recall him bleeding but he was clearly hurt and Mrs. Schwartz was scared. Little kids know when an adult is scared so we gathered around quitely, convinced that poor Danny might die, just like they do on TV.
Jeff Crook Dies Feb. 13 at 47
Posted by Glynn Wilson in Obituaries on February 17th, 2007
According to the obituary on the Birmingham News Website, Jeffrey Lynn Crook of Birmingham died Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007. He was 47.
He was a member of the Erwin class of 1977.
Survivors include brothers, James E. (Christy) Crook, John A. (Laine) Crook, Jerry L. (Charlene) Crook and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.
The funeral service was held Thursday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. at Ridout’s Roebuck Chapel, with burial in Forest Hill Cemetery.
Deborah Gargus-Hagood e-mailed us about this on the 13th, but we decided to wait to confirm it and post an official obit. His brother Jerry said Jeff died of an apparent heart-attack and was found in his apartment, resuscitated by EMS, taken to the hospital and died Tuesday morning.
“So very sad,” she said.
Erwin Band Memories: The ‘Dumb’ Drum Line
Posted by Glynn Wilson in Erwin Band Memories on February 12th, 2007
Some of the most fun memories I have of Erwin in the 1970s - and adolescence in general - was playing and marching in the drum line in the Erwin Eagle Marching Band.
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| The Erwin Eagle Marching Band, 1976 at Disney World |
The only other members of the drum line I recognized at the 2006 reunion were Byron Ackerman and Scotty Glover. I’m told Scotty also left the band at some point after a dispute with the band director, Ronald Widener.
A heck of a trumpet player but a heavy smoker, Widener hated drummers. He would stop the band right in the middle of practicing a song and scream at us and call us the “dumbest” beings on the planet.
But we ignored him for the most part and went on about having fun.
I was there at a separate drum line practice in August 1974 when Ricky Knowles and Mike Ponder and the rest of us wrote the famous FALSTAFF beer cheer and cadence. I understand that cheer lived on until the Moral Majority took over early in the 1980s.