Vigor High School - Class of 1958
C. F. Vigor High School

This is an aerial view of C. F. Vigor High School in Prichard, Alabama.  The picture was taken about 1957.  The view is toward the Southwest.  The street in front of the school is Wilson Avenue, which runs North and South.  The city of Prichard is toward the left in the picture.  Chickasaw is about a mile or two to the North.  During this time Prichard was one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.  The Prichard, Chickasaw area was a wonderful place to live and attend school in the fifties and sixties.   Vigor served as the high school for several smaller towns.  The sports competition between Vigor and Murphy High was fierce. Vigor actually beat Murphy in football in 1958, no small feat.  The Vigor Wolves had an 8 - 1 record for the year and were the city champs!

Prichard, while not  geographically large, had about 49,000 population. Prichard is a suburb of Mobile, about three miles to the South.  The county of Mobile is located in Southwest Alabama.    Mobile County has a population of about 400,000 people.  Forestry and papermaking were huge industries in the Mobile area during this time.  Two large paper mills were located within sight of each other on the Mobile River.  A major air force base, Brookley Field was located south of the city, along the western shores of Mobile Bay.  Shipbuilding was also a major industry.

Fishing, crabbing, shrimping, swimming, sunbathing, hamburgers, dating and cars were the delights of teenagers.  Johnson's Lake in Eight Mile was one of the favorite swimming spots.  More favorite hangouts were the Kreme Bar (did I spell that correctly),  which had the best hamburgers, milkshakes and hot-dogs  near the school campus and Teen Age Haven (dancing). I believe it was located above City Hall near the park.  Some very famous politicians were on hand at every Labor Day celebration in Prichard Park.  Some candidates for governor showed up for years in a row. There were always plenty of things to do in the area.  Skating and bowling were very popular with people of all ages. Prichard had two or three theaters.  The Rex, and the Waterall theaters were located in downtown Prichard.  If I remember correctly, they actually had air conditioning.  The Air Sho drive-in theater was located between Prichard and Chickasaw, next to K. J. Clark Junior High.  Chickasaw also had a nice theater.  Folks, you must remember, this was before TV was very widespread.  Much of the programming on TV was local with few stations available.  Anyway, you know how teenagers are, they have to be always on the "go".  Those lovely full skirts, bobby soxes, flat tops, 45 rpm records and Elvis bring the memories flooding back.  We have many fond memories of our friends and teachers during our high school days at Vigor.  Our teachers were dedicated professionals. We appreciate them more and more as time goes by.  If we could do so we would love to show our love and appreciation to each of them.    If only they could talk with the teachers of today!  What a contrast between then and now.  Skipping school, leaving the school during lunch time or sometimes even holding hands with a friend of the opposite sex might bring on an upbraiding from Mr. Faulk.  Heaven forbid if you decided to steal a kiss!
Were you ever a hippie?  Are you hippie now? I don't really type this fast! Peace, Brother, Peace!

This web site has been online (albeit intermittently) since July of 2002.  It started as a result of talking with our class president, Johnny Henderson.  Johnny and our reunion committee are working on our next reunion to be held in 2010.  If you are willing to help, email Johnny Henderson.  You can be useful in some capacity.  For corrections to this site email Johnny or me, Jimmy C. Martin .  My intentions are to add the email addresses of classmates.  If you have an email address, but do not want it on this site then please make your wishes known, otherwise I will publish it.


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The following is a message from Johnny Henderson to classmates of Vigor High School - Class of 1958

We had a very enjoyable 47th Anniversary reunion October 15, 2005 at the James P. Nix Center in Fairhope, Alabama.  About 120 people attended.  The fun started at 6pm with a Reunion Social.  A Memorials Program (by Shelby Christian Freise and Fay Southall Alexander) was especially moving, and a sumptuous buffet (by Paul Stanley of Catfish Junction) was delicious and satisfying.  Then an evening of dancing and entertainment (by WKEN & Friday) with reminiscing around the tables was a big hit.  Details of our next reunion will appear on this web site and on the www.Classmates.com web site. Our next reunion will be June 4, 2011 at Steele Creek Lodge in Satsuma, AL.  Reunion Reservation Form.
 

Many of our classmates have been blessed with good looks, excellent health, full sets of hair and teeth, successful careers, great kids, etc.  Some may not have been so lucky as others and have had problems with Father Time, illness and financial setbacks.  But we're all one big family and no one is keeping score or comparing who's got what.   What's important is to become reacquainted and enjoy again the warm friendship that we experienced many years ago - and to know that it's still alive today!

We're going to have a great time at our next reunion.  Just a few volunteers and a lot of that good ole '58 Class Spirit will spell success every time.  So let's spread the word, support the reunion efforts, promote attendance, make personal plans and have a grand time with our classmates at our next reunion.  I look forward to seeing everyone at that time. Our next reunion will be June 4, 2011 at Steele Creek Lodge in Satsuma, AL.  Reunion Reservation Form.

 

To learn more about Vigor High School Class of 1958 Reunion, go to the reunion page at http://www.classmates.com . Over one hundred twenty seven of our classmates have registered with Classmates (it's free) and have received notice of the reunion plans. Many have responded with comments, bios, photos and other info. Check it out!

 


Hail Vigor High  -  Go Wolves & LONG LIVE THE CLASS OF '58 !!!


Reunion Coordinator for the next reunion - Donna Steadham Besch
Registration / Name tags: Margene Smith Jarman, Myrtis Craig NaronSidney AndersonRuby Parnell-Webb, Horace Seelye and Buddy Gilbert
Missing Classmates:  Shirley Jones DixonShelby
Christian Freise  and Clark Havard
Memorials committee: Shelby
Christian Freise, Fay Southall-Alexander and Jimmy Johnson (on trumpet)
Buffet, menu, etc: Paul Stanley Sidney Anderson, and Buddy Gilbert
Publicity / Advertising:
Myrtis Craig Naron, and Margene Smith Jarman
Decorations: Lynette Smith Granade Margene Smith Jarman, Donna Steadham Besch and  Myrtis Craig Naron
Mailing Invitations:  John Henderson

Receiving Reservations:  Evelyn Whisenhant Stevens
Treasurer: Evelyn Whisenhant Stevens

VHS '58 Web Master:  Jimmy C. Martin

DJ and Entertainment:  WKENent@comcast.net   


ALMA MATER

Adapted by Edward C. Kotis 2003

Our strong band shall ne'er be broken.

 It shall never die.
Loyal hearts and kindred spirits
Sealed by friendships tie.
Faithful, Loyal, Brave and True,
 We shall ever be.
Hail to thee our Alma Mater,
 Vigor High School, hail!

Class of 1958
COLORS:  Green and White
FLOWER:  White Rose
Class Theme:  "Graduation - Threshold to the Future"


The 1958 Class Sponsors were:  Mrs. Oralie Gilbert, Mrs. Nina Martin, Mrs. Lynnie Lee, Mrs. Lydia Rogers,  Mrs. Lucille Lloyd and  Mr. Ed White

Email your classmates by clicking on E-Mail Address and  Biography  or for more information Class Directory with Names and Addresses  The latter document also contains information on our Deceased Classmates


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SUBJECT: THE REUNION

Every ten years, as summertime nears,
An announcement arrives in the mail,
"A reunion is planned; it'll be really grand;
Make plans to attend without fail.

I'll never forget the first time we met;
We tried so hard to impress.
We drove fancy cars, smoked big cigars,
And wore our most elegant dresses.

It was quite an affair; the whole class was there.
It was held at a fancy hotel.
We wined, and we dined, and we acted refined,
And everyone thought it was swell.

The men all conversed about who had been first
To achieve great fortune and fame.
Meanwhile, their spouses described their fine houses
And how beautiful their children became.

The homecoming queen, who once had been lean,
Now weighed in at one-ninety-six.
The jocks who were there had all lost their hair,
And the cheerleaders could no longer do kicks.

No one had heard about the class nerd
Who'd guided a spacecraft to the moon;
Or poor little Jane, who's always been plain;
She married a shipping tycoon.

The boy we'd decreed "most apt to succeed"
Was serving ten years in the pen,
While the one voted "least" now was a priest;
Just shows you can be wrong now and then.

They awarded a prize to one of the guys
Who seemed to have aged the least.
And another to the one who had come
The farthest to attend the feast.

They took a class picture, a curious mixture
Of beehives, crew cuts and wide ties.
Tall, short, or skinny, the style was the mini;
You never saw so many thighs.

At our next get-together, no one cared whether
They impressed their classmates or not.
The mood was informal, a whole lot more normal;
By this time we'd all gone to pot.

It was held out-of-doors, at the lake shores;
We ate hamburgers, coleslaw, and beans.
Then most of us lay around in the shade,
In our comfortable T-shirts and jeans.

By the fortieth year, it was abundantly clear,
We were definitely over the hill.
Those who weren't dead had to crawl out of bed,
Or be home early to take their pill.

And now I can't wait; they've set the date;
Our fiftieth is coming, I'm told.
It should be a ball, they've rented a hall
At the Inverness Club for the old.

Repairs have been made on my hearing aid;
My pacemaker's been turned up on high.
My wheelchair is oiled, and my teeth have been boiled;
And I've bought a new wig and glass eye.

I'm feeling quite hearty, and I'm ready to party.
I'm gonna dance 'til dawn's early light.
It'll be lots of fun; I just hope that there's one
other person who can make it that night.
Author unknown - submitted by Barbara Saucier Cave


"The truth is mighty and will prevail. There is nothing the matter with this except that it ain't so".  Mark Twain
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Since several classmates have indicated an interest in genealogy I thought they and others might enjoy the following poem. It was sent to me by a dear friend who has since died.  He was a blessing in my life.

 

Hillbilly Genealogy Poem

Suzy Lee fell in love.

She planned to marry Joe.

She was so happy about it all,

she told her pappy so.

Pappy told her, "Suzie Gal,

you'll have to find another.

I'd just as soon yo maw don't know,

but Joe is yo half-brother."

So Suzie forgot about her Joe

and planned to marry Will.

But after telling pappy this,

he said, "There's trouble still.

You can't marry Will, my gal

and please don't tell yo mother,

cause Will and Joe and several mo

I know is yo half-brother."

But mama knew and said "Honey chile,

do what makes yo happy.

Marry Will or marry Joe,

You ain't no kin to pappy!"

Author unknown.


Quotes from a  leader, who had experienced first-hand the horrors that war brings: "When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I have come to hate war. War settles nothing."   On the Suez Canal crisis in the middle fifties: "We believe these actions to have been taken in error, for we do not accept the use of force as a wise or proper instrument for the settlement of international disputes." Military-Industrial-Complex warning. The author of these admonitions: first General, and later President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, a wise man, and highly respected around the world.   Another great American leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. calls upon America to live up to its creed and its promise.  US Government's Official Web Site.  Read your government's explanations of their actions:  White House Press Briefings


 Cajun Jokes on the Net
Mrs. Thibodeaux took a call from the family doctor.  "I'm really sorry about your husband's test results," he said. "We got them mixed up with those of another Mr. Thibodeaux and we're not sure which is which.  In one case the news is bad and in the other case it's terrible.  One Mr. Thibodeaux has Alzheimer's and the other has AIDS, but we don't know which." "Can we just do another test?" Mrs. Thibodeaux asked.
"We could, but it's expensive and your HMO will pay for only one test." "I can't afford that. What can I do?" said Mrs. Thibodeaux.   "I'd suggest that you drop your husband off in the middle of town. If he finds his way home, don't sleep with him" the doctor replied.


Logic Class - Two rednecks, Bubba and Cooter, decided that they weren't going anywhere in life and thought they should go to college to get ahead. Bubba goes in first, and the professor advises him to take math, history, and logic.  "What's logic?" asked Bubba. The professor answered, "Let me give you an example. Do you own a weed-eater?"  "I sure do." answered the redneck. "Then I can assume, using logic, that you have a yard." replied the professor. "That's real good." the redneck responded in awe.  The professor continued: "Logic will also tell me that since you have a yard, you also have a house."  Impressed, the redneck shouted, "GAWL-LEEE!!"  "And since you own a house and a house is tough to take care of by yourself, logic dictates that you have a wife." "Betty Mae! This is incredible!" (Bubba is obviously catching on.)  "Finally, since you have a wife, logically I can assume that you are heterosexual, rather than homosexual" said the professor.  "You're absolutely right! Why that's the most fascinatin' thing I ever heard of.  I can't wait to take this here logic class."  Bubba, proud of the new world opening up to him, walked back into the hallway where Cooter is still waiting. "So what classes are ya takin?"  he asks.  "Math, history, and logic," replies Bubba.  "What in tarnation is logic?"  "Let me give you an example. Do ya own a weed-eater?"  "No."...  "You're a queer, ain't ya?"


Boudreaux once had a job as a taxicab driver in Baton Rouge. One day he picked up a Texan on his way to the airport. When they passed by the LSU football stadium the Texan asked, "What's that partner?"

"Mais dat's Tiger Stadium," answered Boudreaux. "Dey call it Deat Valley cuz a lota teems usta git killed in dere." "How long did it take yall to build it?" drawled the Texan. "Uuuuuuh, bot five year, ah guess," responded Boudreaux.  "We've got a bigger one in Austin that only took one year," bragged the Texan.

As they passed the state capitol, the Texan again inquired, "What's that building?" "Dat's da state captol," answered Boudreaux. "Dey probly got mo crook in dere den dey got in da state pen." "And how long did it take yall to build that?" asked the Texan. "Bot tree year," retorted Boudreaux. "We've got one in Austin that only took six months," said the Texan
with a smirk.

At this point Boudreaux just about had enough. As they drove past the Mississippi river Bridge, the Texan once again asked, "How long did it take yall to build that bridge?"
"Ah don't kno faw sho, but ah kin tellya dis. It wudn't dere dis mornin' wen ah passed!" replied Boudreaux. Thanks to James Allen


One day Boudreaux and Thibodeaux went to a job interview, da boss came out of this office and gave them a test.  Well, it took about two hours to finish the test.  The boss picked them up and graded them.  When he finished, he came back out of his office and said, "Ya'll both did very well and passed the test.   In fact ya'll scored the same grade."  Then he told Boudreaux he got the job. All of a sudden Thibodeaux jumped up and said, "Well wait, if we both scored the same grade, then why does Boudreaux get the job?"  Then the boss said, "Well because of your answers, for example, on number 25, Boudreaux wrote, "I don't know," and you wrote, "me either."  Clark Havard


Thibodeaux had 50 yard line tickets for the Sugar Bowl. As he sits down, a man comes down and asks if anyone is sitting in the seat next to  him.  "Mais, no", says Thibodeaux, "Dat seat be empty,  yeah." "That's incredible," said the man. "Who in their right mind would have a
 seat like this  for the Sugar Bowl, the biggest sporting event of the year or LSU, the SEC  champions, the first time since 1987 they make it
 to the Sugar Bowl, and then  not use it?"  Thibodeaux says, "Dat seat belong wit me, yeah. I wuz comin' wit my wife, but she done pass  on. Dis de first LSU football game we didn't came wit each udder since we bin  married in 1960." "Oh...I'm sorry to hear that. That's terrible. But couldn't you find someone else---a friend or relative, or even a neighbor to take the seat? Thibodeaux shakes his head sadly. "No, dey all at de  funeral." Trey Gaspard


Fishin' and Beer - Boudreaux was walking down the street when he was accosted by particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless man who asked him for a couple of dollars for dinner. Boudreaux took out his wallet, extracted two dollars and asked, 

 

"If I gave you dis money, will you buy some beer wit it instead?" "No,I had to stop drinking years ago," the homeless man replied. "Will you use it to gamble 'stead of buyin' food?" Boudreaux continued to ask. "No, I don't gamble" the homeless man said. "I need everything I can get just to stay alive." "Will you spend dis money on fish bait 'stead of food?" "Are you NUTS!" replied the homeless man. "I haven't fished in 20 years!" 

 

"Well," said a smiling Boudreaux, "I'm not going to give you the two dollars. Instead, I'm going to take you home fuh a terrific dinner cooked
by ma' wife." The homeless man was astounded. "Won't your wife be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty bad."

Boudreaux replied, "Hey, man, dat's okay! I juss want her to see what a man looks like who's given up beer, gamblin', and fishin'."
T.W. Yates


Boudreaux been fish'n down by de bayou all day an he done run outa night crawlers. He be 'bout reddy to leave when he seed a snake wit a big frog in his mout. He knowed dat dem big bass-fish like frogs so he decided to steal dat froggie. Dat snake, hit be a cotton moufed water moccasin so he had to be real careful or he'd get bit. He snuk up behine de snake and grabbed him roun de haid. Dat ole snake din't lak dat one bit. He squirmed and wrapped hisself roun Boudreaux's arm try'n to get hisself free. But Boudreaux, him, had a real good grip on his haid, yeh. Well, Boudreaux pried hit's mout open and got de frog and puts it in his bait can. Now, Boudreaux knows dat he cain't let go dat snake or hit's gonna bite him good, yeah, but he had a plan. He reach into de back pocket of his bib overhauls and pulls out a pint a moonshine likker. He pour a couple draps into de snakes mout. Well, dat snake's eyeballs roll back in hits haid and hit's body go limp. Wit dat, Boudreaux tosses dat snake into de bayou. Den he goes back to fishin. A while later, Boudreaux dun feel sumpin tappin on his barefoot toe. He slowly look down and dare dat water mocassin was with two frogs in his mout!
An'dat's da trouf, according to John Boyd.


Boudreaux (a phonics genius) Boudreaux wasn't very good at spelling. During an oral spelling exam, the teacher wrote the word "new" on the blackboard. "Now", she asked Boudreaux, "what word would we have if we placed a "k" in the front?" After thinking about it for a while, Boudreaux smiled and said, "canoe?"


While waiting for my first appointment in the reception room of a new dentist, I noticed his certificate, which bore his full name.  Suddenly, I remembered that a tall, handsome boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 40 years ago. Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was too old to have been my classmate.
After he had examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended the local high school.  "Yes," he replied.  "When did you graduate?" I asked.  He answered, "In 1958."  "Why, you were in my class!" I exclaimed. He looked at me closely and then asked, "What did you teach?"


Boudreaux died
Well suddenly while fishing Boudreaux died.  Marie send his obituary into the newspaper. It said "Boudreaux died yesterday while fishing." Well the newspaper people called her and said "you can put a little more in the paper. You have 10 lines." So the next day the obituary appeared in the paper. It said "Boudreaux died while fishing yesterday. Boat For Sale."


Boudreaux was a widower of several years.  He began to notice Ms. Mary Thibodeaux, an attractive, unattached lady in his Sunday School Class. Boudreaux began to sit next to Ms. Thibodeaux in Sunday School, then in church.  Finally he began to see Ms. Thibodeaux regularly, taking her to the movies, dinner, dancing, etc.  After several months of wining and dining Boudreaux decided to ask Ms. Thibodeaux to wed.  He mustered the courage and popped the question.

The next morning Boudreaux woke up and began to shake out the cobwebs.  He remembered asking Mary to wed the night before, but he just couldn't remember her answer.  Well Boudreaux was perplexed to no end.  No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't remember Mary's answer.  Finally Boudreaux decided to call Mary and confess his quandary.  Boudreaux called Mary and said "Mary I know I asked you to marry me last night, but I simply can't remember your answer"  After a short silence Mary said "oh, I'm so glad you called.  I knew I had promised to marry someone last night, but I couldn't remember who".


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