October 2012
1 post
Memories of Monteagle Mountain
In 1971 Johnny Cash wrote and recorded a song about Monteagle Mountain. It started like this:
“There’s a stretch of Highway on Interstate 24 between Nashville and Chattanooga That’s claimed many trucker’s life And your life is in your hands when you start down that long steep grade On Monteagle Mountain.”
If he thought it was scary in 1971, that was nothing...
May 2012
4 posts
THE VOWS
While I was getting a few hours of sleep on Friday night before I was to be married on Saturday, across town at 3000 Campbell Street, Dee was not sleeping. A few days earlier, he had started building a concrete fish pond for his mother and had planned to finish it on Saturday in time for it to be her Mother’s Day present. Since he was not going to be there on Saturday, he decided to finish...
My Awakening
Well, I had done it now. I knew I would have to hurt Dee at some point, by telling him about answering Allen’s letter and the thought of it was making me sick.
March 2, 1956 (Friday) Dear Diary, Tonight Dee and I went to the drive-in and saw “Gone with the Wind”. He noticed that I acted differently, but I wasn’t ready yet to tell him why.
I was still procrastinating and...
Dear John
O.k., I finally made a decision on Friday, February 10, 1956 and told Dee I would marry him. Now what? He wanted to go ahead and get my rings and give me the engagement ring on Valentine’s Day. The second order of business was for me to write Allen the dreaded “Dear John” letter.
We made a date to go downtown on Sunday afternoon to look at rings. While I was waiting for Dee...
Making a Decision
It’s January 1, 1956. I’m still unofficially “engaged” to Allen and dating Dee, who takes me by surprise when he proposes to me.
January 2, 1956 (Monday) Dear Diary, I was off work today. Tonight Dee and I went to the skating rink and then to the Sherman Reservation. He asked me to marry him. I told him I didn’t want to make a decision until Allen comes home in...
April 2012
1 post
GOODBYE 1955
November 23, 1955 (Wednesday) Dear Diary, Mother and the kids went to Hazel’s to spend the night. I got a letter from Allen. Went to the drive-in with Dee tonight. We saw “Stalag 17”. Dee is real sweet.
November 24, 1955 (Thursday) Dear Diary, Today was Thanksgiving. We spent the day at Hazel’s. I slept all afternoon. It’s been a year today since I’ve...
March 2012
1 post
DESTINY AND DENIAL
It took about a month for me to come back to reality after the Labor Day weekend trip to Nashville in 1955. I went through my days in a fog daydreaming about Bill, the guy I met.
September 6, 1955 (Tuesday) Dear Diary, I’ve really felt rough today. I doubt if I’ll ever see Bill again, but I love him and I mean it.
September 7, 1955 (Wednesday) Dear Diary, I transferred from the...
February 2012
2 posts
A BROWN EYED HANDSOME MAN
At the end of my last blog, I had just met my future husband, Deforest “Dee” Miller. This was not an earth shaking event for me as I had no idea that this man was someone who would change my life or how the drama would play out in the coming months. I wish I could say that I had just met my handsome prince and that he whisked me away on his white horse to his castle, and that we...
THE WALK THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
It’s mid-summer 1955. I’m out of school, settling into a job at Provident Insurance Company, writing two guys and biding my time until the next August when Allen would be home.
July 29, 1955 (Friday) Dear Diary, Tonight I went with Johnny, Lisa and Rusty. We went to a couple of taverns. I love Rusty’s car.
“Rusty” was Johnny’s friend and had been our...
January 2012
7 posts
WORKING GIRL
It’s the start of summer, 1955. I’ve just graduated high school, been to Florida for a week and now I’ve got to get serious about finding a job.
June 13, 1955 (Monday) Dear Diary, I got a package from Allen today with my graduation presents. He sent me a beautiful white gold Bulova watch and a pair of Korean pj’s. I just love the watch. I’ll be glad when this...
MY FIRST TRIP TO FLORIDA
Hamming it up outside our motel in Daytona Beach…………………
I grew up thinking Florida was a magical place. This stemmed in part from raptrous back to school “what I did on my summer vacation” reports from the lucky kids in school who went there in the summer. Also, I had seen beautiful pictures of the Atlantic Ocean and having grown up in a...
FINISHING SCHOOL
May 3, 1955 (Tuesday) Dear Diary, The school sent me on a two-day job downtown at LeGrand Jewelers. I worked four hours today posting accounts.
May 4, 1955 (Wednesday) Dear Diary, I finished up the job at LeGrand today. Got paid $7.13. Bought me a black and white bathing suit.
May 6,1955 (Friday) Dear Diary, Peggy Whaley and the Oakdale Senior class came to Chattanooga today for their senior...
I GET A NEW SMILE/AND THOUGHTS ON PERVERSION
April 27, 1955 (Wednesday) Dear Diary, I didn’t go to school. I went to the dentist and got my new partial. I really like it.
There was a lot encompassed in that simple entry of April 27. Getting that partial was a life-changing event for me, because it gave me some much needed self-esteem and confidence. You may have noticed that in pictures of me up to this point, I was never smiling...
APRIL, 1955
April 2, 1955 (Saturday) Dear Diary, I got off work early tonight so I could go to the Key Club dance at the Read House. There were over 500 boys there. We really had fun. Shelby and I spent the night with Carol and Virginia Beavers.
……….A picture of Mary, me, Carol and Virginia at the Key Club dance…………..
April 3, 1955 (Sunday) Dear Diary, Shelby...
MARCH, 1955
Every year the University of Chattanooga hosted a Senior Day for the seniors in area schools. Although I knew I wouldn’t be going to college, I went to this event and it was a lot of fun. I daydreamed about going to college and becoming a high school English teacher. I had picked up some college brochures in our school office and had chosen East Tennessee State University in Johnson City...
1955
Life was looking pretty bleak for me at the beginning of 1955 with Allen in Texas waiting orders to be shipped overseas and with no prospect of him even getting to come home before he left. The long months until he would be home again were stretching endlessly before me and I felt like my life was on hold. I kept busy with school activities, work and going places with my girl friends, but there...
December 2011
9 posts
A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT
December 3, 1954 (Friday) Dear Diary, I sent Allen a Ronson lighter for his birthday. I got two letters from him. I bought some Christmas gifts at the drugstore tonight.
December 6, 1954 (Monday) Dear Diary, Today is Allen’s 20th birthday. I got two letters from him. He said if he gets to come home in 8 weeks, we’re damn sure getting married!
December 11, 1954 (Saturday) Dear...
I'M NOT "THAT" KIND OF GIRL
November 14, 1954 (Sunday) Dear Diary, Allen has arrived! He came over early this morning. We ate lunch at his house. I had to work from 2:00 until 7:00. We went to a drive-in movie tonight.
He was home for eleven days and we went to a drive-in movie for nine of those nights. Some of those nights I had to work until 7:00 or 9:00 o’clock. He would pick me up after work and then...
WAITING FOR FURLOUGH
October 24, 1954 (Sunday) Dear Diary, I know this is too wonderful to be true, but Allen came home for a few hours today. He surprised me early this morning. We went riding around and then ate lunch at his house. He left at 2:00 to go back to base. He said he will be back the middle of November. I worked from 5:00 until 9:00.
This is a picture Allen’s mom made of us at his house that...
I GET A JOB AND A WORLDLY EDUCATION
October 19, 1954 (TUESDAY) Dear Diary, Shelby got a part-time job working in a church office. I’m going to the drug store tomorrow to see if I can get the job she had.
October 20, 1954 (WEDNESDAY) Dear Diary, I got the job at Fillauer Drug Store. I go to work tomorrow afternoon.
October 21, 1954 (THURSDAY) Dear Diary, I went to work after school. Worked 3:00-9:00. I believe I will...
SCHOOL STARTS AND ALLEN DEPARTS
September 1, 1954 (Wednesday) Dear Diary, The first day of my Senior year. It’s going to be fun. My classes are: English IV, History IV, Shorthand II, Typing II and Office Procedures. Allen and I went to a movie tonight.
Picture of Shelby, me, Virginia and Mary Glenn taken at the start of our Senior Year, just up the street from our school.
September 3, 1954 (Friday) Dear Diary,...
FINALLY, LOVE
It was August,1954 , Allen and I were still having our problems…………..
August 1, 1954 (Sunday) Dear Diary, Allen and I went to church this morning. This afternoon we had a fight. He was soooo mad when he left. I went home with Hazel. We went to church at Signal Hills tonight.
August 2, 1954 (Monday) Dear Diary, Hazel and I canned peaches today. Tonight Kirk took us...
MY SIXTEENTH SUMMER
By the time of the 1954 Summer Solstice, Allen and I were seeing each other at least five days (or evenings) a week. He had a job, although I can’t remember where he worked. Wherever it was, he wasn’t too fond of it and was talking about joining the Army in a couple of months.
June 21, 1954 (Monday) Dear Diary, Daddy had to go preach a funeral and mother went to the movies with...
CAT AND MOUSE GAME
June 6, 1954 (Sunday) Dear Diary, Allen and I went fishing and swimming. I was with him from 10:00 o’clock this morning until 10:30 tonight. I like him a lot.
Once Allen and I started dating on a regular basis, mother and daddy seemed to like him instantly and never voiced one objection to my seeing him so much. He was very personable and friendly and my whole family liked him.
...
FIRE AND ICE
In my last blog, I was to the point of saying that I liked Allen a lot. There was definitely an attraction between us that kept me wanting to be around him and to looking forward to our dates. But there was also a friction in our personalities that often caused problems as well.
May 22, 1954 (Saturday) Dear Diary, Shelby and I went to the 58 drive-in with Jimmy and Allen and saw “Crazy...
November 2011
13 posts
ALLEN AND THE PROPOSAL
It was uncanny how immediately after breaking up with Howard, there was Allen waiting in the wings. We fell into a routine of seeing each other almost every day, usually with Jimmy and Shelby there as well. At first, my mind and heart was still full of Howard and it took me awhile to “warm up” to Allen.
May 8, 1954 (Saturday) Dear Diary, Tonight Shelby and I went to the Skyway...
THE FINALE
April 20, 1954 (Tuesday) Dear Diary, We had prayer meeting at our house tonight and after it was over I talked with Howard for a few minutes. I’m scared mother and daddy are going to make me stop dating him.
April 22, 1954 (Thursday) Dear Diary, Peggy Breeden has a new Chevy Coupe. She came down tonight and she, Nellie and I went riding.
Peggy Breeden was my friend from school who...
I COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT
April 1, 1954 (Thursday) Dear Diary, Mary Garner and I went to Central High School tonight to the Trade and Industrial Clubs dance. We met a lot of cute boys, but one guy named Bill McCallie was my pick. He is a senior at Central. We paired off early during a square dance and then danced every dance together after that. He sure can dance. He said that I could follow him better than anyone he...
MARCH, 1954
March 4, 1954 (Thursday) Dear Diary, I went to the wrestling matches tonight with Shelby, Jimmy and Allen. I met Allen at the square dance last Saturday night. He graduated from Central High School last year. He is tall and has brown eyes and dark brown hair. I like him o.k.
March 5, 1954 (Friday) Dear Diary, I think Howard was with another girl last night. But I was with Allen, so what the...
A MONTH OF PARTIES
February 4, 1954 (Thursday) Dear Diary, I got a letter from Peggy Whaley saying she and Peggy Matthews are coming down Saturday. That is great because I’m going to have a 16th birthday party Saturday.
February 6,1954 (Saturday) Dear Diary, I really had a lovely time tonight. My party was a huge success. Everybody seemed to have a great time. I got a lot of nice gifts. Howard gave me...
THE MOON IS BLUE
January 9, 1954 (Saturday) Dear Diary, Nellie and I went to the Rivoli tonight. Howard came up there and sat with me and walked us home. We had a good talk.
January 10, 1954 (Sunday) Dear Diary, I went to church this morning. This afternoon Nellie and I went riding around with Hazel and Kirk. We practiced waltzing tonight.
January 11, 1954 (Monday) Dear Diary, We have a lot of fun in annual...
LAST CHRISTMAS AT GRANDMA'S
November 21, 1953 (Saturday) Dear Diary, Nellie and I went to church at the Tabernacle tonight. Howard and Don came after us and walked us home. Daddy wasn’t happy about it.
November 22, 1953 (Sunday) Dear Diary, Howard and Don wanted Nellie and me to go to church tonight but mother wouldn’t let me. Then Howard got mad because I couldn’t go.
November 25, 1953 (Wednesday)...
AUTUMN 1953
October 15, 1953 (Sunday) Dear Diary, I went to church this morning and tonight. I saw Howard twice today. He invited me to go with him to a Halloween party. I hope I can go.
October 23,1953 (Friday) Dear Diary, At school today I was initiated into F.H.A. (Future Homemakers of America). Mary and Nellie wanted me to go to prayer meeting tonight but I had to help mother iron.
Mother had started...
SWEATER WITH THE KNOTS IN IT
September 2, 1953 (Wednesday) Dear Diary, Today was the first day of school. I’m taking Typing, Bookkeeping, Shorthand, Home Ec III and English III.
I had no inkling when I started my Junior Year at Kirkman what the next two years would be like. In retrospect, I will have to...
AUGUST, 1953
My friend, Mary Hughes, was dating a boy named Don Smith. He got me a date with one of his friends.
August 1, 1953 (Saturday) Dear Diary, Tonight Mary and I went with Don Smith and his friend, Ray Bradford, to a gospel singing at Memorial Auditorium. Ray seems to like me, but I don’t like him, at least as a boyfriend. He’s real nice and everything, but I don’t think...
BEING FIFTEEN
June 28, 1953 (Sunday) Dear Diary, Maxine and her family came to visit this morning. I sure was glad to see her. She went to Highland Park Baptist church with me. Daddy rode back to Rockwood with them this afternoon. Grandpa Newman is in the hospital, so he went up to check on him. Tonight, Howard, Don, Rachel and I went up to the “knothole”.
The knothole was a small cafe not...
GETTING ACQUAINTED
I hadn’t been in Chattanooga long until I started getting the “lay of the land”. We were located in a very convenient spot. There were grocery stores, theatres, shopping, churches, grammar and junior high schools all within a mile or so radius. And for more serious shopping, or visiting someone in another part of town, we could always catch a city bus to town, or wherever, I...
GOING HOME
A picture of me at age 15, taken in the summer of 1953.
That last month of school in 1953, while I was still in Rockwood finishing the 10th grade, finally ended and on Friday, May 29, I wrote:
Today was the last day of school! Yippee! Peggy Whaley came down from Oakdale yesterday. She is going home with me Sunday.
May 31, 1953 (Sunday) Dear Diary, Finally came home to Chattanooga today. ...
October 2011
7 posts
WILD AND RECKLESS ABANDONMENT
Today as I was making my weekly seven mile trek down the mountain to the local Sanitary Center (garbage dump) the air was so crisp and clean, the trees so deliciously red and golden, that I went a little crazy and started having thoughts of wild and reckless abandonment. I almost felt young again and started wondering what kind of mischief I could get into.
But when I got to the dump, the old...
APRIL, 1953
April 12, 1953 (Sunday) Dear Diary, What a day! Max and I went to church this morning. Then went riding around with Bob this afternoon. We went to the fire tower on Westel Mountain, walked the train trestle, then walked through the tunnel. Also rode on the fender. Had a good time.
Wow, talk about young and dumb! My guardian angel must have been working overtime that day. Scary to...
NOT SO HAPPY DAYS
March 16, 1953 (Monday) Dear Diary, Harley Holloway was shot to death Sunday morning in Hamilton County. I sure did hate it. He was so friendly and cute. I’m glad Johnny wasn’t home, he might have been with him.
That Monday was a sad day at Rockwood High. Harley was 20 years old and a senior. He was Johnny’s age and they were friends. He, like Johnny, had dropped out of...
EARLY 1953
January 1, 1953 (Thursday) Dear Diary, Hank Williams died today. I can’t believe it. Uncle Fred Newman came to visit today and is spending the night with us.
Maxine and I loved Hank Williams’s music and we were stunned and saddened by his death.
Uncle Fred Newman was my great uncle. He was a widower who lived in Roane County and had been a frequent visitor (he really loved...
BACK TO ROCKWOOD
December 7, 1952 (Sunday) Dear Diary, I went back to Rockwood with Hazel and Kirk.
December 8, 1952 (Monday) Dear Diary, Everybody was surprised to see me back at school today. I have some catching up to do on my assignments.
December 9, 1952 (Tuesday) Dear Diary, Max and I spent the night with Frances. We went to the basketball game.
December 11, 1952 (Thursday) Dear Diary, I spent the...
THE BIG MOVE
November 22, 1952 (SATURDAY) Dear Diary, We moved to Chattanooga today. We have a five room and bath apartment. I like it so far.
When we left Rockwood for Chattanooga that Saturday morning, I had no idea what we were headed toward. Daddy had brought home a brochure about the place he had rented for us but it was hard for me to visualize. It was a new housing development located in East...
NOVEMBER, 1952
Review: It’s November, 1952, I’m 14 years old in the l0th grade at Rockwood High. Daddy is working in Chattanooga and we are planning to move there soon. I remember that as being a rough time at home for mother and me, as the weather turned cold and we didn’t have any coal for the warm morning heater, so we had to try to find scrap wood and even cut up some logs with an axe to...
September 2011
3 posts
FINALLY, A JOB FOR DADDY
SEPTEMBER 1, 1952 (MONDAY) Dear Diary, School again. Silly sophomore am I! I’m in Mr. Hallcox’s home room. Tonight Maxine and I went to the drive-in with Hazel and Kirk and saw “Tomorrow is Another Day”.
SEPTEMBER 2, 1952 (TUESDAY) Dear Diary, I’m so glad I don’t have any old Algebra to worry about this year. My classes are English II, Home Ec II, World...
AUGUST, 1952
AUGUST 7, 1952 -(THURSDAY) Dear Diary, Maxine and I worked in the election for Jack Pelfrey. He paid us $5.00 each.
Mr. Pelfrey was our neighbor and he hired Maxine and me to work at the Pond Grove Precinct that day handing out his election literature. We enjoyed doing it and were happy to get the money. He was running for Constable in our district. He tied with another man but was declared...
LABOR DAY 1950
Even though I wasn’t keeping a diary in 1950, I know exactly where I was on Labor Day of that year. Rockwood was having their first ever Tennessee Valley Water Carnival at the Community Beach and Park. This was a big event and wound up drawing an estimated 2,000 attendants. It started at noon with swimming and diving meets and continued throughout the afternoon with ski and surfboard...
August 2011
6 posts
JULY, 1952 MORE FRUSTRATION, LESS FUN.
By Sunday, July 6, all the 4th of July company had gone and Maxine was home from Chattanooga. We immediately fell into a pattern of seeing each other just about everyday and going to the movies and to church a lot.
Maxine and I were very different in age and physical appearance. I was 14, she was 16. She was a tall blonde, I was a short brunette. She was mostly the instigator of the crazy...
SUMMER 1952 - FUN AND FRUSTRATION
Reading my diary for the summer of 1952 is somewhat akin to reading one of those old Southern novels about the long hot summers. It seems like that’s the way it was, except with some fun times thrown in as well.
I finished the 9th grade on Friday May 23 and then the very next day I was off to Oakdale for my annual visit with Peggy. I stayed two weeks (with a side trip to Maryville for one...
