Darryl Morris: Memorial Day ....

Vietnam Veterans Memorial at night

Lt. Col. Alton D. Morris, USA (Ret.), our former teacher, and a Vietnam Veteran, delivered this address on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008 before the Collingsworth County, Texas Veterans

Commander Owens, VFW Comrades, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am sure that all who are gathered here today -- beside this memorial to the fallen heroes of Collingsworth County -- are aware that this day was once called Decoration Day. It was a day of national commemoration of the men and women who died in military service to our country. Decoration Day began first to honor soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. In 1967, as a result of the slowly dawning realization that we should not merely decorate the graves of our honored dead but should, instead, memorialize them, the name of this observance was changed to Memorial Day. This is a fitting change -- for to memorialize means to remember -- and remember we must, lest their sacrifices be in vain.

It is said that we citizens of the United States pray for peace but prepare for war. War, as our history shows us, has been with us always; and as current events indicate, it may well be the fate of generations in the future. In the Bible's book of Matthew, Chapter 24, Verses 6 and 7, Jesus tells his disciples on the Mount of Olives that "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom...." Those gathered here who remember World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the First Gulf War, the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the many conflicts in between in which we have been engaged know the truth of this prophecy. Further, knowing that we now face an implacable enemy in the terrorist who has vowed to continue the fight until our way of life is destroyed and we are forced to embrace his fanatical view of the world, we must sadly accept that our children and our children's children may be asked to assume responsibility for perpetuating those blessings God has seen fit to bestow upon this nation.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., who served on the United States Supreme Court for 30 years and is one of the most widely quoted Supreme Court Justices, said in an 1884 Memorial Day Address: "[I]t is now the moment when by common consent we pause to become conscious of our national life and to rejoice in it, to recall what our country has done for each of us and to ask ourselves what we can do for our country in return." "And on this day when we decorate the graves of our fallen heroes," he concluded, "the dead come back and live with us."

And I would say that the dead come back to us not so much to claim the well-deserved honor we extend to them but as a reminder to the youth of this nation that what privileges and blessings they enjoy in what President Reagan called the "Shining City on a Hill" were purchased and have been defended at great price. The dead also remind us that the greatest blessing we enjoy here in the United States, and which is in short supply throughout the rest of the world, is freedom. And, as we honor those who gave up their lives in this cause, we are reminded that freedom, indeed, is not free. It is bought and paid for with the blood of men and women who did not flinch at paying the price.

When we remember our nation's conflicts, we tend to fasten our memories onto those who the world acclaims as "heroes" -- those honored veterans of combat, such as Audie Leon Murphy, from Kingston, Texas, who was the most highly decorated soldier of World War II. But this doesn't describe the majority of the people we honor today. What were they like? I think President Bush answered this question in one of his own Memorial Day addresses when he said: "We know that they all loved their lives as we love ours. We know they had a place in the world, families waiting for them, and friends they expected to see again. We know that they thought of a future, just as we do, with plans and hopes for a long and full life. And we know that they left those hopes behind when they went to war, and parted with them forever when they died." The President concluded with the unequivocal statement that we can never measure the full value of what was gained in their sacrifice. We live it every day in the comforts of peace and the gifts of freedom." In short, these were people just like those of us who are gathered here today to pay our respects.

In what is perhaps the most sincere and most often quoted memorial statement, Abraham Lincoln said, in his Gettysburg Address of 1863: "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- and that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."

To Lincoln's unparalleled statement, I would only add another verse from the Bible, found in the 15th Chapter of John, Verse 13: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Those we honor here today are our friends who extended that greatest love to us all.

Another of our Presidents, John F. Kennedy, made this vow in his Inaugural Address: "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

These people we honor today kept their faith that their service would protect this nation and guarantee our freedoms. Today, our remembrance is the small price we pay to keep our faith with them. But we owe them so much more than mere remembrance. We owe them our willingness -- no, we owe them our vow -- to pick up the burden of responsibility when that burden falls to us. It is our responsibility to bear any burden, pay any price....

And so, for those who literally gave that last full measure of devotion to this country, may God bless their truly immortal souls, and may God Bless America.

We're Not Getting Older; We're Getting Better.

A sure cure for a bad day or a bad mood is to visit your nearest greeting card shop and spend time reading the cards. It is impossible to not find your spirits lifted a bit when most of the cards lend themselves to laughter. We often spend much of our time laughing at the cards that in some way deal with the subject of aging, after all many of our friends are now hitting 60 and above, and we want to find just the right card to emphasize that they will soon be the recipient of many of the "ravages of time." You know the ones I mean, loss of memory, loss of hair, loss of one's sexual urges, loss of energy, loss of one's teeth, loss of hearing and the list goes on. While we laugh, it is also hard to not feel a twinge or two when some cliche or another hits home. The truth is, as the bumper sticker says, "getting old is not for sissies." The expression carries more truth than fiction. In many ways aging does hurts. All of us carry with us more aches, more pains, more health conditions and more pills and medicines. Additionally, aging in our society often results in loss of self esteem and a loss of self worth brought on by among other things the media. If we are not seeking out nips and tucks for every part of our bodies, we are led to believe that there is no way we can ever be considered beautiful or desirable again.

Recently my son-in-law and daughter commented after a trip to St. Kitts that the people who seemed to be having the most fun were a large group of "blue hairs" who invaded the swimming pool with little or no regard as to how they looked in bathing suits (even bikinis). Apparently their raucous comments which included the word, Viagra, were accompanied by merriment and loud laughter! Obviously these people had found a way to live long enough to become an "embarrassment to their children" as they lived life to the fullest.

So where are you today my fellow aging classmates from the class of 1963? Are you going to take this aging thing lying down by giving in or giving up, or hiding your head in the sand hoping it will all go away. I say a resounding NO to that. It is time to take back our lives to assert ourselves as being vital, important , and fun. Will you say "bring it on" like Linda Kay and Jennifer? Will you adopt the philosophies of crabby, cranky,Maxine from those Hallmark Cards and join her in "snarkiness?" Will you spend your time wishing you were 16 or 20 again or will you admit that 60 is sexy and as some say now that 60 is the old 40?

As for myself, I am really really glad to be my age.
I would hate being young and naive, or facing life again without the experience and hindsight that I have today. I would hate not being a grandma.

Let me share with you my 10 commandments for the aging me!

1. I will never let my health issues and ailments be
my main topic of conversation, EVER!
2. I will be active everyday.
3. I will remember that I am not 30 or 40 anymore
so I won't hurt myself trying to act as if I am.
4. I will try not be become a burden to my children.
5. If I must become a burden to my children, I will do it with style and finesse.
6. I will learn to do something new everyday.
7. I will never lose my enthusiasm for experiencing new things
unless that new thing could put me in the hospital.
8. I will never use expressions like "in my day" or
"that's not the way we've always done it."
9. I will remember that wrinkles and lines really are a sign of experience and hopefully wisdom so I can be reminded to be grateful to be who I am, myself!
10. I will never let Jim wear black socks and dress shoes
with shorts and a tee shirt in public. (This commandment was initiated by Jim!)

Now in light of the above, it is my pleasure to share with you photos
that Darryl Morris has shared. While he is no longer the young man in the white jacket
that we see in our annuals, he definitely exemplifies the statement that "We are not getting older; We are getting better." Thank you Darryl for being brave enough to share with us in hopes that some of the others will do the same.

Here's "Papa" with granddaughter Louisa Claire Morris-Uebel. I'm wearing my typical "farmer's uniform." (I should get a big discount on haircuts, shouldn't I? )

And here's Sharon (on the right) with her sister and dearest friend Janell who died of cancer a year ago this past August.

The daughters of Darryl and Sharon.The three sisters during an amusing
moment: L-R: Debbie, Nicki, and Sharyl.
The reunion was held at the Wellington VFW hall, thus all the stars and stripes.

Darryl refers to their home as a Little Slice of Paradise

The Meadowlands

Seven acres that offer,among other things, wonderful peace of mind.

Darryl Morris: Musings and Memories ....

We received this missive to the blog from Darryl Morris, written before the "Noah" post, but only received afterward, and wanted to share it with all of you.

Dear Nicki,

Despite my very busy retirement life (Ha!), I’ve been checking your class blog occasionally and have thoroughly enjoyed reading all the posts and comments. You’ve done a really good thing by setting all this up to provide a venue for your classmates to relive fond memories and to keep in touch. I wish my own Quail High School Class of 1956 had done such a thing, but it’s too late for us to attempt it now. First of all, only a few of the remaining 17 members (from a class of 22) even have computers. Secondly, primarily due to health considerations, none would have the time or energy to maintain the project at the high level you’ve established in your own blog.

Although I am reluctant to “horn in” on the Class of 1963’s very special and very personal space, I have wanted for quite some time to express my gratitude for the nice remarks that you, Jennifer, Sheila Davis-Martinez, and Betty Smith Merritt have made about me. Despite my gratitude, however, I find it so very hard to believe that in my bumbling first efforts at teaching, I had the personal impact expressed in the aforementioned comments; and I find myself wondering what on earth I must have done to warrant such nice remarks. When I was teaching at CHS, I was, to tell the truth, very insecure about my qualifications; and I didn’t think I was doing anything out of the ordinary—I was just hoping I could find some way for my students to come to enjoy poetry, literature, and just learning things as much as I did. I generally went home every afternoon hoping I hadn’t made a fool of myself and hoping as well that I hadn’t somehow led some student astray. Regardless, I am most appreciative—and most humbled—by all that I have read.

Several names have come up in the various posts and comments that have triggered memories of my own, and I would like to touch upon them here. First, I saw the name of Bettye Shahan. During my senior year at Quail, we played baseball against Childress; and if I recall correctly, the Childress pitcher—and a good one he was—was named Bill Shahan. Is this her brother? I also remember that a fellow named F. A. Davis was a member of the Childress baseball team, but I think F. A. was probably in the class of ’56 or thereabouts.

I also noted Shirley Neel’s name. I remember that on one of my Army leaves, I visited my old high school buddy Dean Maxwell in Childress, and we had a night out at the Country Club. Two or three of my former students were there (I wish I could remember who they were), and we had a nice visit. One of them was Shirley Neel. And, if I remember correctly, someone talked Shirley into singing with the band that was playing that night. I think she sang a country song, although I can’t say for sure. What I do remember very clearly, however, is that I thought Shirley had a very, very good voice.

I’ve seen the names of Don Seal and Jimmy “Atlas” Czewski come up in the blog on a couple of occasions. I really enjoyed knowing those two characters. I remember that I used to pronounce Jimmy’s name as “C-zoosky” to see if I could get a rise out of him, but he took it very well. On one occasion he and Don Seal took me on a spelunking adventure through some gypsum caves in someone’s cow pasture. I thoroughly enjoyed the outing with those two fun-loving guys. I recalled the cave adventure when I was in Vietnam and performed one stint as a tunnel rat—which was not enjoyable.

I remember Barry Wakefield as an excellent speaker; and I also remember a couple of other “wild thangs” in my class: Chicken Mitchell and Doug Greer.

In his picture, Wayne Havens looks like he’s feeling great. Obviously he’s doing great as an educator. One of my graduating classmates from Quail was Bob Havens, who now lives in Clarendon. I wonder if they are relatives.

I’ve seen references to the Saieds in a couple of comments. Another group of the Saieds also lived in Wellington. Mack and Fred Saied owned and operated the Leader clothing store there in town. Mack has long been retired, but he and his wife Lam are both still very active in the community, with Mack being particularly active in the VFW. Fred Saied married Barbara Farha from Childress, and they moved to Kansas where Fred also had a clothing store until he passed away some years ago. Barbara went to North Texas State College, and I saw her quite often when I would travel from SMU to Denton to visit with a Wellington buddy named Don Rayburn. We spent a lot of time in the commons area of Barbara’s dormitory, just visiting and joking around with her and two or three of her college friends. I recently saw Barbara at a Wellington High School reunion, and she was still as lively and fun-loving as ever. I remember that I taught Barbara’s little sister (whose name I’m ashamed to say has just escaped me) during my last year at CHS.

I also coached the freshman boys basketball team during my last year there. I don’t think we won a game that season, but the blame rests on bad coaching alone since the young men on the team were definitely a talented bunch.

Congratulations to Jim on his induction into the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame. One of our athletes from Quail High School is also a recent inductee. Her name is Jo Helen White Cabbell. She was an outstanding basketball player in high school, and she played with a team called Dowell’s Dolls when she was in college. Additionally, she was on the women’s basketball team which took gold in the 2^nd Pan American Games in 1955. I had the pleasure (and honor) of writing a letter of recommendation for her induction into the PSHF.

I’ve rambled on far too long, so I’ll bring this to a close. I just wanted to tell you how much I have enjoyed your blog and to congratulate you for the wonderful job you have done in setting it up and maintaining it. Jennifer’s posts and all other comments have also been a delight to read, and I hope that more and more members of your class will soon start making their own contributions.

Sincerely,

Darryl Morris