The East High Class of 1953 East High School, Memphis, Tennessee

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Richard Bettison [posted March 28, 2010] Deceased. An obituary is available. Charles Boone [updated August 31, 2020] Deceased. An obituary is available. Click here to read the obituary. Prior to his death, Charles Boone was a participant with our alumni page. The following was his last posting with us. [posted June, 2013] graduated in 1953 and went to Vanderbilt University where I obtained a Ba and ,where attended PMD program at Harvard Business School. I separated from my wife and continued my rael estate investing while working at EH Crump as a real estate salesperson. I became a real estate broker and formed my own company. I with two partners built the Quality Inn at Poplar and I-240. Best investment I have ever made. Later built a truck stop at US 64 and I-40 on 30 acres which later became St. Charles Place next to Wolfchase Plaza. In my late 60's I developed Watch know Learn with Larry Sanger,co-founder of Wikipedia, and later developed Reading Bear to teach kids to read whose parents can't spend $20,000 to get their kids into the first grade. Gail Boyd [last updated December, 1998] I married Ronald Collins (Class of '52) a year after my graduation. We raised two children while in the Navy, and I got my teaching degree while they were in school. I am coming up on 30 years teaching, currently enjoying a 21st Century classroom, with 16 computers in my room. We have three college aged grandchildren, 2 dogs and a cat. I am looking forward joining Ronald in retirement in a few years. Nelie Brown [posted January 12, 2019] Deceased. An obituary is available. W.B. Burrow [posted November 1, 2011] Deceased. An obituary is available. Eugene Carter "Gene" [last updated July, 2001] Deceased. An obituary is available. Click here to read the obituary. Prior to his death, Gene Carter was a participant with our alumni page. The following was his last posting with us. [posted June, 2001] My years at East High were the best of my life because I had a lot of good friends such as Jim Chumney, Betty Ann Abney and Evelyn Shepard. After East High I graduated from Auburn in 1957 and received my commission as at LT. I spent over a year in Korea. When I left the Army I went into banking and eventually became Vice President in Lending. I retired a few years ago and am living in Miami, Florida. I have been married for 32 years to Judith Price Carter. Jim Chumney, Jr. [last updated March, 2019] At the 1953 East High graduation I received the "Robert H. Parrish Scholarship" to Memphis State College given as a memorial by the Parrish family. The scholarship along with four years as a Commercial Appeal newspaper carrier with extra summer jobs provided my four year college education. During the college years I was elected Student Government Vice-President and promoted to Lt. Colonel in the campus Air Force ROTC unit of 800 student cadets. In 1955 my East High sweetheart, Sara Hamer, entered Memphis State and we enjoyed many formal dance events as we continued dating. I was proud to be the ROTC officer second in command of the unit's drill performance when Sara was crowned MSC Homecoming Queen in 1956 on the Crump Stadium football field. In 1957 I graduated from Memphis State College and received a US Air Force commission as 2nd Lt. The next day we were married. By 1958 the Air Force duty assignment sent us to live most of the following four years in Texas. During that time we were blessed with the births of two daughters. I also enrolled in the graduate evening program at Trinity University to study history for a M.A. degree. At the 1961 graduation I was awarded a National Defense Fellowship to Rice University as my military obligation ended. We moved to Houston and I entered graduate school at Rice University for three years. Sara typed my dissertation the last year for my Ph.D. degree in Southern American History just in time for the Rice University graduation when I received the Longscope Award for my "General Don Carlos Buell, Gentleman General" dissertation. In August 1964 I joined the faculty at University of Louisiana and the family moved to Lafayette, LA for a year before returning to Memphis the following year to join the Memphis State University faculty. We were grateful in 1967 for the birth of our third daughter. Sara and I are proud of our daughter's achievements over the years with two of them practicing law and one earning a M.A.T. degree for her teaching career. We have enjoyed the hours helping daughter Carol with political campaigns for elected offices. My college teaching career of almost fifty years has included Civil War, Old South, New South, Military and American history courses and the Memphis State University Distinguished Teaching Award in 1970. Retirement from University of Memphis and from the Navy as Lt. Commander for twenty-three years of service has allowed time to write the University of Memphis History with the research material acquired during the past years. More quality time has been available with my family. Happy memories of meeting Sara at East High are treasured as we celebrate 62 years of marriage in 2019 Ellen Clark [posted June 5, 2021] Deceased. An obituary is available. Nancy Daniel [posted January 17, 2011] Deceased. An obituary is available. Richard Dixon Deceased. An obituary is available. Clifford Ollie Dowell Deceased. An obituary is available. Zoe Harrison [posted March 15, 2003] Deceased. An obituary is available. Barbara Jones [last updated June, 2012] [E-mail address updated October, 2017] Harriette Mathewes ("Bubbles") Deceased. An obituary is available. Mary Myatt [posted June 9, 2020] Deceased. An obituary is available. Diana Rieke [posted July 30, 2020] Deceased. An obituary is available. Sandy O'Connor [updated February 26, 2023] Deceased. An obituary is available. Prior to his death, Sandy O'Connor was a participant with our alumni page. The following was his last posting with us. [posted February, 2021] I am semi-retired doing some consulting work and sub-teaching in the parocial school system in Baton Rouge. We (my wife Jennie) have four children and seven grandchildren. Eugene Dell Rutland, Jr. [last updated December, 1998] Attend Memphis State College 1953-1956 pre med. Attended UT Med School 1957-1960, was graduated in march 1960. Interned in Boston, Mass, residency in pathology in Philadelphia, Pa., was board certified in clinical and anatomic pathology in 1965. Retired from US Army as Col(06) 1992. Retired from active practice Dec 31 1997. Live in South carolina, on Wadmalaw Island, a farming and commerical fishing community about 20 miles from Charleston, SC. Patsy Simmons [posted April 3, 2022] Deceased. An obituary is available. Charles Terry [last updated July, 1999] Retired after 36 years with incentive organization in St.Louis primarily involved in creative services(writing,directing graphic artists,multimedia specialists, photo department,etc.). Undergraduate degree at Ole Miss in Journalism/Economics and a Masters from Webster Univesity in Communications. Married to a therapist who specializes in working with chidren; have 6 kids, 8 grandchildren; all live in the St.Louis area except for one son residing in Dallas,Texas. Jim Walker [posted January 18, 2019] Deceased. An obituary is available. Roy Weathersby [posted August 26, 2011] Deceased. An obituary is available. Lep Wenzler [posted June 17, 2003] Deceased. An obituary is available. Bill Yancey [posted February 28, 2022] Deceased. An obituary is available. Jackie Youngblood [posted February 9, 2008] Deceased. An obituary is available. OTHERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CLASS OF 1953 People who attended East with the class of 1953 at some point but were not graduated with it. Charles (Chuck) Ames Bullard [posted December 3, 2006] Deceased. An obituary is available. Tucker Stroupe [posted April 24, 2008] Deceased. An obituary is available. James Shelby Tucker [posted July 12, 2023] Deceased. An obituary is available. Charles Edward White [posted October 26, 2013] Deceased. An obituary is available.   Footnote * Entries with the "reported deceased" designation indicate a reunion committee or other persons believed closely associated with the class have indicated they have information they believe quite reliable about the death of the individual so designated. The East High Alumni Page has not received sufficient documentation to verify the information and therefore does not confirm the death or that the individual who died is the one of the same name who attended East High School. Such reports without confirmation should be taken with a degree of skepticism. Anyone with documentation to confirm the report or with information to refute the report is strongly encouraged to contact the editor of The East High Alumni Page at editor@EastHigh.org promptly. Please see our obituary policy.

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