"CHRISTMAS, THE JOYOUS SEASON!"

"FOR INTO US A CHILD IS BORN...UNTO US
A SON IS GIVEN. AND THE GOVERNMENT 
SHALL BE UPON HIS SHOULDER, AND HIS
NAME SHALL BE CALLED...WONDERFUL,
COUNSELLOR, THE MIGHTY GOD, THE EVER-
LASTING FATHER, THE PRINCE OF PEACE.
.......... ISAIAH 9: 6-7
**************************************
An historic, joyous, beautiful season of Hope,
Peace, Eternal Life....

The most meaningful, memorable, and happy
events for mortals on the Earth...stem from
the Bible stories of the birth of the Saviour.

God's great love for Man, and his unspeakable
Gift...means that Man is not left to wallow in
the Slough of Despond.

THE MUSIC OF OUR HEARTS...
********************************
"Joy to the world, the Lord is come,
Let earth receive her King..."

"Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!"

"It came upon the midnight clear
That glorious song of old..."

"O Holy night, the stars are brightly
     shining...
It is the night of the dear Saviour's
     birth..."

"Thou didst leave Thy throne and 
     Thy kingly crown
When Thou camest to earth for ,me..."

"O, little town of Bethlehem
      how still we see thee lie...
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
      the silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
     the Everlasting Light...
The hopes and fears of all the years
      are met in thee, tonight."

THE FUN OF THE SEASON....
******************************

"Sleigh bells ring, are ya' list'nin?
In the lane, snow is glistnin'...
A beautiful sight, we're happy
      tonight,
Walkin' in a winter wonderland!"

"Chestnuts roasting on an open
      fire,
Jack Frost nipping at you nose...
Tiny tots, with their eyes all aglow..."

"Up on the housetop reindeer pause,
Out jumps good old Santa Claus!"

"Silver bells, silver bells, it's Christmas-
      Time in the city...
Ting-a-ling, hear them ring---soon it
      will be Christmas Day!"

And there will be toys galore, and there
will be no adults, for a day--all will be 
children once more!

Way back in the forties, Santa would bring;
    Tinkertoys, Lincoln Logs, Monopoly,
Chinese Checkers, Gene Autry cap pistols,
     Dolls, Jacks, Jump Ropes, Tarzan books,
Parchesi, marbles, footballs, baseball gloves,
     Old Maid, Authors, WWII model airplane
kits, Xacto knives, and "Dave Dawson In the
R.A.F." books...

If it snowed, there'd be snowmen, sleds would
come out of garages...there'd be snowball
fights...

FAMILY GOOD TIMES
***********************
To "Grandmother's House" many would go!
Whereever one was on Christmas Day, 
there'd be turkey and dressing, hams,
roasts, plum puddings, egg nog....

A Yule Log on the fire, the family circle,
and gifts for everyone...socks hanging 
there on the mantel...and way back in
the Forties... there were fireworks!

Also, in the Forties, in simpler times...
TV hadn't singing one of the most 
popular songs of all time:

"I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where the tree tops glisten, and
children listen...to hear
Sleigh bells in the snow...."

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES...
********************************

Folks nowadays, attend church services,
usually early on Christmas Eve, to hear
the joyous songs and the Bible verses
read, once again...for after all...

The real meaning of CHRISTMAS, IS
NOT COMMERCIAL...NOT BLACK
FRIDAY, NOT GIVING AND GETTING...
IT IS THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF...
          JESUS!

Sit a moment in the service with me...
The choir is wining a quiet piece:

"Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming,
    from tender stem hath sprung..."

Listen: "For unto you is born this
day, in the city of David...a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord!". Luke 2:11

Let's sing: "O come, all ye faithful,
     joyful and triumphant...
O come ye, o come ye, to 
      Bethlehem..."

*****BY MIL******
12/08/14

"MERRY CHRISTMAS" CLOVIS HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF '51

That long-ago day in late May of 1951, just before 

or just after graduation (who can remember?) a

never-before-scene occurred right there on the

CHS "campus," on the scruffy lawn in front of the

band shell.

Someone had set up a volley ball net and a

handful of CHS '51 kids were playing volleyball!

It was late morning and I was one of 'em! The

whole world was young, then, and we were all

ready to tackle life.

I doubt that was an ache or a pain to be found

anywhere in the bunch; all were seventeen or

eighteen. Mostly---the latter. We thought we'd 

live forever.

If someone had said: "You know, don't you,

that a hard life of work is ahead, and all of you

will be 80 or 81 by 2014, we'd have shrugged

it off.

Alas, many of our comrades who started out 

with us in 1939 in Eugene Field and La

Casita Schools, have fallen along the Trail.

Maybe half of us or more...who call tell...

We've later seen many of these life-friends along 

the way, here and there and at ten reunions,

as noted in a previous article. There are a number

that perhaps felt no kinship or interest in "the

class," and we've never seen or heard from

them since graduation.

The sounds of "POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE"

had barely faded from our ears, and they were

gone forever.

Many others of CHS '51 have attended some or 

all of the ten reunions. 

MIL'S PLACE, since its inception on 3/31/11,

has been devoted to early Clovis and CHS '51

memories, and has pieces written by CHS '51 

and '53 grads.

In going through my archives recently, I found

a well-done publicity paper, advertising the 

CHS '51 FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY CLASS

REUNION, TO BE HELD SEPTEMBER 14,

15, AND 16, OF 2001. It was prepared by

the committee headed by Betty (Snyder) 

Culver, Bill Kinyon, and Phyllis (Lee) Walker.

This piece, giving reunion information, and

names already registered, and other vital facts,

brought warm and nostalgic memories to me.

Thus I have decided to send it out this Christmas.

as a kind of nice remembrance of old times,

old experiences,  and old comrades. And... it 

is likely that there are few of these 50th reunion 

publicity sheets still extant.

************************

QUOTING:

"OUR 45TH REUNION WAS A FUN-FILLED TIME

OF SHARING MEMORIES, EXPERIENCES---

RENEWING CHERISHED FRIENDSHIPS, AND

(FOR SOME), MAKING NEW FRIENDS. 

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING EACH OF 

YOU, OUR CLASSMATES IN SEPTEMBER, 2001,

SO MAKE YOUR PLANS NOW!

WE WILL BE DISAPPOINTED IF YOU AND YOUR 

SPOUSE OR OTHER SPECIAL GUEST CANNOT

ATTEND!"

A busy time of interesting activities was planned, and

supervised by committee members. 

Jerry Crook and Bill Kinyon  hosted GOLF.

Bus tours of Cannon AF Base, CHS, and Homes were

planned. An auction was planned to be supervised by

Frank Blackburn and Dave Collins.

The last evening a banquet was planned at a fine

restaurant---"THE LANDING," at Cannon AFB, west

of town, with Jimmy Whatley presiding.

Ah, but the smoke was yet rising from the wreckage

of the New York TWIN TOWER event of September

11, 2001, when the time came for our reunion. The

Cannon Base, as well as all military installations, was

on high alert and closed to the public. We had a really

delicious meal at Holiday Inn, instead.

As a part of this Christmas-time memory, I thought it

would be interesting to record again, once more, 

those class members who were "signed up" to attend:

Phyllis (Lee) Walker.               

Audrey Cole Jacks
Gene Walker.                          

Marilyn Jones Woodard
Janelle Vandiver Pershall.       

Rita Sharp Lancaater
Jack Murphy.                           

Lili Jameson Ashby
Elizabeth Harper May.              

Dolores Petty Paskiewicz
Wayne Hancock.                      

Bill Kinyon
Jo Heying Shown.                    

Wanda King Snipes
Dave Collins.                            

Art Snipes
Jim Whatley.                            

Joyce Green Parker
Robert Elmore Lansford            

Milburn R. Moore
Ruth Foster Sikes                     

Betty Madera Holloman
Sondra Price Bewley.                

Earl Riley
Ida Mae White Roberts.            

Jo Ann Williams
Jerry Roberts.                           

Charlotte Kelly Camerer
Marcia Stebbins Pearson.         

Jerry Crook
Dorothy Trigg Hannebutt.           

George Martin
Bob Stebbins.                           

Betty Snyder Culver
Sherman Williams.                     

Norma EAly Patterson
E.J Jouette.                                

Don Todd
Dixie Sanderson Peterson.         

John Sieren
Sue Barnett Hale.                       

Levi Brake
Bill Hale.                                     

Ellen Wells Ellison
Bobby Griffith.                             

James Timmons
Claire Stroud Hofer.                    

Johnny Pickering (Hon.)
Frank Blackburn.                         

Albin Covington

************************************************

STILL QUOTING:

We are missing and have no addresses for the following

class members (MIL's note--this was in 2001)---

Don Campbell.                       Ramona Garcia Gonzales                             

H.N. Carter                             Barbara Ann Hart

Gene Clements.                     Charles Odom

Wilma Foster Martin

"WE WERE A 'SPECIAL CLASS' AT CHS AND ALL OF US

MADE UP A 'FAMILY OF CLOSE FRIENDS AND FRIEND-

SHIPS' WE WANT YOU TO JOIN US....SEND US A NOTE.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM ALL OF OUR CLASSMATES."

**************************

MIL: A CHS '51 reunion was held in 2003 in Kerrville, Texas,

Jim Whatley's town and planned almost single-handedly

by JIm.

Wanda King Snipes, with the help of several CGS '51 members

planned reunions in Albuquerque in '06 and '08, the latest

one being the 57th. We missed the SIXTIETH.

It has been over thirteen years now since the MAGIC 

FIFTIETH...HOW TIME FLIES!  

Gene Walker and I try to send out a bit of class news now

and then...and like to keep up with CHS '51 members.

Any news of any one of them would be greatly appreciated

by Gene or me.

There are probably fifteen or more posts on MIL'S PLACE

re our beloved class.

Print this one and don't lose it---much info about the 50th,

and if you are like I (Miss Clark, did I get that right?), it

is good to read the list of names over, now and then.

A MEANINGFUL AND HAPPY CHRISTMAS SEASON TO 

ALL, THIS DECEMBER 25, 2014.

*******30******

BY MIL

12/01/14

(We were having our CLASS picture made on September 15,

2001, there at Holiday Inn, and many were hobbling up

onto the risers---like choirs use, and many's the riser I've sung

from--- and I made it up with my sore knee, and I leaned my 

arm on Sherman William's shoulder, one row below, and said:

"Sherman, hope you don't mind," and he looked around...

and just smiled an "okay.")

'I LED THE SINGING AT COWBOY CAMP MEETINGS"

"HEADIN' FOR THE LAST ROUNDUP..."

******************************************

One day in mid-seventies, the great preacher

of the Gospel, Dr. S.M. Morgan, who gave me 

my start in Church Music, phoned me here in

Albuquerque from Bosque Farms, where he was

pastor (in his retirement); he had a request for 

me.

He always liked my singing and we had worked 

together at FBC, Artesia for several years in the

fifties. He said: "Singer, we've had an old rancher 

die down here---lived out west of Los Lunas---

they're wanting a solo of Mansion Over the

Hilltop, like Elvis sings it."

At the time I was not a big Elvis fan (I've since

gained an appreciation of him) or songs like

"Mansion," which textually were not up to the

level of the great hymns, which I loved. Words

like "a little silver and a little gold," and "I want 

a gold one that's silver lined," were not great

poetry, but on the other hand, much of the

music about heaven is symbolic.

Most of us don't desire great mansions and gold

in heaven, but want to be taken in and forgiven.

Religious music is felt and expressed in many ways

by people...and cowboys in their hard, unlettered

lives knew what they felt and what they liked.

I went and sang the song and was glad to do 

so.

These days, sometimes when I'm alone and 

writing, I'll sing that song to myself...and think of 

old times...and old cowboys I knew...

For you see, over time, I led the music in four

cowboy camp meetings---three at Elk, N.M.

and one at Glenwood. "Mansion" was always 

requested, as well as "I'm Headin' For the Last

Roundup," and many songs about heaven.

Elk, N.M., out west of Artesia about 70 miles,

once had a post office and store. (Maybe it still

does.) It is located as the road begins to climb 

up into the foothills.

East of the store/post office, back down the

hill three or four miles, on a plain in a sort

of valley, with forested hills on every side, was

a little white stucco building, about 20 X 30.

This was the Elk Baptist Church.

I reckon it was really a church for all people

who loved Jesus, and not just Baptists. It was

a church that met any Sunday a preacher could

come, and the folks had never heard of a 

Wednesday night "Officer and Teacher meeting."

Along about 1957, I was music director at the

FBC, Artesia, working with Dr. Morgan. His main 

mission  was to tell as many people about

Jesus Christ, as he could, in his lifetime.

He always had an interest in the Elk church and

knew many of the ranchers and cowboys out

there. In the summer, hot June, of '57, Dr. Morgan 

or "Sig," as he was popularly known, and a bunch 

of cowboys from the Elk area decided they wanted 

to have a cowboy camp meeting each summer.

Sig was a good carpenter himself, and loved to

build things. He and the cowboys of the area

built a fine "tabernacle" of rough lumber, donated

by someone. 

It was sturdy, open, and floorless, but it had a 

good roof and a sort of "stage" for the preachers 

and singer, and any choir that might show up!

They located it about 50 yards SE of the little

white church bulding.

Then my preacher and the boys out there with

brick-laying ambitions built a brick oven barbecue 

thing near the tabernacle; it had a chimney at 

one end and several steel doors that opened at 

the top. I, myself, was drafted for this work, tho' I 

had never laid a brick.

The "Cowboy Camp Meeting" was coming up

soon that  summer and the old heavy upright

piano was laboriously moved from the little

white church to the wooden tabernacle , with a

handful of song books.

I led the music for that first one, and was invited 

back from wherever I was, to join my cowboy and

rancher friends, and lead the singing for two more.

I always went gratis; it was my pleasure and joy

to join with those salt-of-the-earth people in 

singing the Gospel.

You might think those cowboys and their wives

would not do much singing, being out there on 

ranches, often far from anywhere, and lonely.

But the truth is---I believe the angelic choirs of

heaven took a break, and sang right along with

those camp meeting folks:

"SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER

WHERE BRIGHT ANGEL FEET HAVE TROD,

WITH ITS CRYSTAL TIDE FORVER

FLOWING BY THE THRONE OF GOD.

YES WE'LL GATHER AT THE RIVER

THE BEAUTIFUL, THE BEAUTIFUL RIVER,

GATHER WITH THE SAINTS AT THE RIVER,

THAT FLOWS BY THE THRONE OF GOD!"

In a "camp meeting" paper, I wrote at the

seminary, I quoted a writer who'd been at

the early nineteenth century camp meetings

in our young country, and here is the gist of

what he said (from my memory)---

"Listening to camp meeting singing, a hundred

yards away, it was GREAT...at three hundred

yards, it was WONDERFUL...and at a mile,

IT WAS MAGNIFICENT!"

The accommodations were pretty much whatever

people came in or brought...some slept in tents,

some in little camp trailers, some slept in horse 

trailers. Others sacked out in the backs of their

pickups under tarps, and we got the cement floor 

of the little white church. (My wife, Donna, always

went and she was the pianist.)

Like the singing the food was magnificent! It 

came in big pieces...sides of beef, whole pigs,

chickens...and the sauce, rolled onto the meat

with a paint brush would almost melt a spoon

or fork. I never saw a bigger pot of pinto

beans ever again in my life as that one

always simmering on the brick barbecue!

So, it's hard to quit talking about camp 

meetings...of all the revivals I lead (63 of

them), those outdoor events were the best!

Simple events: praying, singing, preaching,

and eating...and lots of visiting with each

other!

COWBOY CAMP MEETINGS:

Beautiful earthly events...

Beautiful scenery...

Beautiful down-to-earth people...

Beautiful simple songs of faith...

  Good preaching ....

Delicious food...

Fine fellowship...and

Life changing  experiences:

  .....sins buried in the deepest sea,

           to be nevermore remembered....

Think I"ll ponder all these memories

and maybe hum an old favorite song

to myself...one that all cowboys seemed to 

love...my uncle, a cowboy, had it at

his funeral....

"SOFTLY AND TENDERLY JESUS IS 

     CALLING... 

CALLING FOR YOU AND FOR ME... 

SEE ON THE PORTALS HE'S WAITING 

     AND WATCHING

WATCHING FOR YOU, AND FOR ME.

COME HOME...COME HOME..."

Elvis Presley:   "Mansion Over the Hilltop"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO09bJQnSKM

Gene Autrey:  "The Last Roundup"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vLk1MyAcFE

Willie Nelson:
"Shall We Gather at the River"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u6KCzMc3Lw

Selah, featuring Cynthia Clawson
"Softly and Tenderly"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohADsIlQ-k

---30----

BY MIL

11/21/14