This is a story about the girls I knew in High School.
The first girl I fell in love with was Carolyn Roles (I was attracted to her because thought she was pretty). We dated from our Sophomore through Junior years of High School. The Summer between our Junior and Senior years she dropped me for another boy. I was devastated and didn't recover for several years.
When I was Senior in High School, I was in a car pool with three girls from Eastern High School (Susan Masters, Barbara Marks, and Mary Ann Fetner). I knew Susan Masters the longest (she had gone to Beargrass Christian Church with me and we had been in the Cherub Choir together). She moved out from St. Matthews to Ten Broeck in her Junior or Senior year. I remember to welcome her I took her to a jazz concert at a large hall in Louisville. The group was the Dave Brubbeck Four, and their big hit was “Take Five”.
All four of us had a great time car-pooling that year. Mary Ann and I used to enjoy getting under a coat in the floor of the back seat and singing songs.
I dated several girls during my Senior year (Randy Ross, Ellen Tatum, Shirley Green, and others). But one girl was special: Joanne Lynch. Joanne was shy and bashful, and was voted the most artistic in our Senior class. We liked to have quiet dates, like sitting on a couch with Mom and Dad having popcorn in front of a roaring fire.
However one date was special. I picked Joanne up and we drove to Louisville in Mom's Pontiac convertible with the top down. We parked under the Clark Memorial bridge and then walked across (about one mile) and back. When we came back the Belle of Louisville (a paddle-wheel boat) passed underneath the bridge (it was beautiful).
When we got back to the car there were two policeman standing there. They were holding Joanne's purse and asked, “Are you Joanne Lynch?” They said that there had been several mugging in that area, and they had called Joanne's parents. We drove back to her house in silence. I waved goodbye to her from the car and we never had another date.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Lady
My Mom (Lady) was June Mallory Redding McConnell.
She was born in Owenton in Owen County, KY, the next to youngest daughter of Benny Walker (Big Daddy) Redding and Lucy (Lute) Sherfy. After graduating High School in Georgetown, KY she went on to Georgetown College and then to Eastern Kentucky Teacher's College in Richmond. There she met and married Bill McConnell (Pa).
Their early history is given in Pa's biography. Lady was an excellent cook, seamstress, artist and homemaker. She is one of the smartest people I have ever known (she had “the Redding Brain”). When she was as Junior in High School, she took a test with all the Seniors in Kentucky, and scored the highest in all the state.
Lady loved to work crossword puzzles, and filled out book after book in ink. She became a Christian when she was nine years old, and taught the Women's Bible class at our church (Beargrass Christian). Her brother George taught her how to do word studies in Greek. She was also active in the Christian Woman's Club in Louisville.
Lady had many talents. She loved to cook, knit, sew, and also painted. She was famous for making Christmas candies (including caramels – plain, with pecans,and chocolate covered, cream fondant – which she turned into chocolate covered creams and vanilla, peppermint and chocolate rolls, toffee, Aunt Bill's Candy, peanut brittle, taffy – also called pull candy and meringue shells. One year she knitted sweaters for all her granddaughters with their initials on them. She also sewed bride and bridesmaids' dresses for at least seven weddings. Often the bride just gave Lady a picture of the dress she wanted and Lady made up the patten.
She had a delightful (and sarcastic) sense of humor. She could really cut you down with one of her zingers. She was a quiet woman who spent most of her time knitting or crocheting.
I always thought Lady and Pa were an ideal couple.
She was born in Owenton in Owen County, KY, the next to youngest daughter of Benny Walker (Big Daddy) Redding and Lucy (Lute) Sherfy. After graduating High School in Georgetown, KY she went on to Georgetown College and then to Eastern Kentucky Teacher's College in Richmond. There she met and married Bill McConnell (Pa).
Their early history is given in Pa's biography. Lady was an excellent cook, seamstress, artist and homemaker. She is one of the smartest people I have ever known (she had “the Redding Brain”). When she was as Junior in High School, she took a test with all the Seniors in Kentucky, and scored the highest in all the state.
Lady loved to work crossword puzzles, and filled out book after book in ink. She became a Christian when she was nine years old, and taught the Women's Bible class at our church (Beargrass Christian). Her brother George taught her how to do word studies in Greek. She was also active in the Christian Woman's Club in Louisville.
Lady had many talents. She loved to cook, knit, sew, and also painted. She was famous for making Christmas candies (including caramels – plain, with pecans,and chocolate covered, cream fondant – which she turned into chocolate covered creams and vanilla, peppermint and chocolate rolls, toffee, Aunt Bill's Candy, peanut brittle, taffy – also called pull candy and meringue shells. One year she knitted sweaters for all her granddaughters with their initials on them. She also sewed bride and bridesmaids' dresses for at least seven weddings. Often the bride just gave Lady a picture of the dress she wanted and Lady made up the patten.
She had a delightful (and sarcastic) sense of humor. She could really cut you down with one of her zingers. She was a quiet woman who spent most of her time knitting or crocheting.
I always thought Lady and Pa were an ideal couple.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Pa
My Dad (Pa) was William Thomas McConnell, Jr.
He was born near Mt. Olivet, in Robertson County, KY, the youngest son of WT and Willie Kate Wells McConnell. After graduating High School in Cincinnati, OH he went to Eastern Kentucky Teacher's College in Richmond. There he met and married June Mallory Redding (Lady).
After graduation they moved to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa , where he enrolled in Med School (he had dreams of being a doctor). During his first year, he had appendicitis and had to drop out. He worked for a short time in Atlanta, and then he and Lady went to live with his parents in Mt. Olivet. There Lady had their first child (Mae Kathrine - Kae, Kayce). WT got Pa a job with the Internal Revenue Service in Louisville, KY. While in Louisville Lady gave birth to four more children: Linda Lee (Linda), Robert Redding (Bob), William Thomas, III (Bill) and Elizabeth Sherfy (Sherfy).
I remember living in three homes around Louisville: the first on Hycliffe Ave.,the second on Macon Ave, (both in St. Matthews), and the third in Ten Broeck Subdivision (out in the Eastern edge of Jefferson County). This was a home that Lady designed, and Pa had built for us. This was the home that all five children lived in until we graduated High School, and from which we were married.
Pa worked for the IRS and became the Head of the Tri-state Region. He was offered a job in Washington, DC, but turned it down (he didn't want to raise his children in that city). Instead, he took a job as Vice President, Treasurer of Lincoln Income Life Insurance Company (a job he kept until he retired). The last years at Lincoln Income, Pa and Lady moved to New Castle in Henry County, KY and bought their last home (the two story brick home with white pillars in front) on Cross Main Street. There Pa and Lady adopted their sixth child, William Holmes McConnell (Willie, Bill)., while he was in High School.
Pa was an outstanding businessman, husband, father, church leader, and community leader.
> When he retired from Lincoln Income Insurance Co, it took four men to replace him
> He was a loving husband to Lady and leader of our home.
> He was a loving father
> He was the Chairman of the Board of Elders at church
> He was was active in the community (and usually President of the group)
Most of the people in Louisville and then Henry County loved and respected Dad.
He met everyone who came into our home with the same greeting: “Is there anything you need to tell me?” Most people sought out his council, and he was known as a “Pastor to Pastors”.
Pa was faithful in supporting me in my baseball career. He came to almost every game, and saw that the rest of the family came also. He was president of the St. Matthews Little League and helped see that the facilities were greatly expanded.
Pa was a wonderful father to me and a man that I greatly admired.
He was born near Mt. Olivet, in Robertson County, KY, the youngest son of WT and Willie Kate Wells McConnell. After graduating High School in Cincinnati, OH he went to Eastern Kentucky Teacher's College in Richmond. There he met and married June Mallory Redding (Lady).
After graduation they moved to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa , where he enrolled in Med School (he had dreams of being a doctor). During his first year, he had appendicitis and had to drop out. He worked for a short time in Atlanta, and then he and Lady went to live with his parents in Mt. Olivet. There Lady had their first child (Mae Kathrine - Kae, Kayce). WT got Pa a job with the Internal Revenue Service in Louisville, KY. While in Louisville Lady gave birth to four more children: Linda Lee (Linda), Robert Redding (Bob), William Thomas, III (Bill) and Elizabeth Sherfy (Sherfy).
I remember living in three homes around Louisville: the first on Hycliffe Ave.,the second on Macon Ave, (both in St. Matthews), and the third in Ten Broeck Subdivision (out in the Eastern edge of Jefferson County). This was a home that Lady designed, and Pa had built for us. This was the home that all five children lived in until we graduated High School, and from which we were married.
Pa worked for the IRS and became the Head of the Tri-state Region. He was offered a job in Washington, DC, but turned it down (he didn't want to raise his children in that city). Instead, he took a job as Vice President, Treasurer of Lincoln Income Life Insurance Company (a job he kept until he retired). The last years at Lincoln Income, Pa and Lady moved to New Castle in Henry County, KY and bought their last home (the two story brick home with white pillars in front) on Cross Main Street. There Pa and Lady adopted their sixth child, William Holmes McConnell (Willie, Bill)., while he was in High School.
Pa was an outstanding businessman, husband, father, church leader, and community leader.
> When he retired from Lincoln Income Insurance Co, it took four men to replace him
> He was a loving husband to Lady and leader of our home.
> He was a loving father
> He was the Chairman of the Board of Elders at church
> He was was active in the community (and usually President of the group)
Most of the people in Louisville and then Henry County loved and respected Dad.
He met everyone who came into our home with the same greeting: “Is there anything you need to tell me?” Most people sought out his council, and he was known as a “Pastor to Pastors”.
Pa was faithful in supporting me in my baseball career. He came to almost every game, and saw that the rest of the family came also. He was president of the St. Matthews Little League and helped see that the facilities were greatly expanded.
Pa was a wonderful father to me and a man that I greatly admired.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Suzie
Suzie is the name of the special dog we grew up with in Ten Broeck (our subdivision on the far east part of Jefferson County outside of Louisville, KY).
Our friends , the McCroskies, found Suzie abandoned in a street in St. Matthews, KY. My youngest sister, Sherfy gave Suzie her name. Suzie was part Boxer and part German Shepherd and was a very faithful dog. She was always on time to meet all three of our buses to take us to and from school.
One of the favorite games that my brother Bill and I played with Suzie was to throw huge rocks (about 3” by 8”) into Little Goose Creek. She would feel around with her paw until she would find it and then pick it up in her mouth. We would do that over and over again and she never grew tired of that game.
My Mom (Lady) used to sunbathe in the front yard and Suzie would bring her a present (a dead rabbit). She would drag it and put it under Lady's chair. Every time we would throw in the ravine beside our house, Suzie would find and bring it back.
Suzie especially loved to help us hunt rabbits. Once when we had a heavy snow, it was fun watching her track them down. She always had a good nose for game.
Suzie was so easy to get along with. She would lay down and we would take a nap with our head on her. Other times we would pick her up by her tail. When Suzie got tired of being harassed she would just walk away.
When Suzie was old, sick and ready to die, she went off by her self. We never found her. I have had many dogs since Suzie but none can compare to her.
Our friends , the McCroskies, found Suzie abandoned in a street in St. Matthews, KY. My youngest sister, Sherfy gave Suzie her name. Suzie was part Boxer and part German Shepherd and was a very faithful dog. She was always on time to meet all three of our buses to take us to and from school.
One of the favorite games that my brother Bill and I played with Suzie was to throw huge rocks (about 3” by 8”) into Little Goose Creek. She would feel around with her paw until she would find it and then pick it up in her mouth. We would do that over and over again and she never grew tired of that game.
My Mom (Lady) used to sunbathe in the front yard and Suzie would bring her a present (a dead rabbit). She would drag it and put it under Lady's chair. Every time we would throw in the ravine beside our house, Suzie would find and bring it back.
Suzie especially loved to help us hunt rabbits. Once when we had a heavy snow, it was fun watching her track them down. She always had a good nose for game.
Suzie was so easy to get along with. She would lay down and we would take a nap with our head on her. Other times we would pick her up by her tail. When Suzie got tired of being harassed she would just walk away.
When Suzie was old, sick and ready to die, she went off by her self. We never found her. I have had many dogs since Suzie but none can compare to her.
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