Another Home Run for Grandaddy Carriker

One of the most exciting stories that we’ve had here on this website was the electrifying home run hit by Bill Carriker‘s grandchild, Dalton Carriker that won the Little League World Series in 2007.

Dalton became an instant national celebrity.

Now, you’d think that’s enough glory to last any grandaddy a lifetime.

But not for Bill…the glory just keeps on coming!

Take a look at this article from Macon (Georgia) dot com:

WRALL softball headed to World Series in Portland

By Chris Deighan

Once again, fate tapped a Carriker on the shoulder. And, once again, a Carriker delivered.
Seven years after big sister Kaitlyn helped put Warner Robins on the Little League map and two years after big brother Dalton cemented the town’s spot in youth sports lore, Carson Carriker delivered a tie-breaking, two-run triple in the fifth inning to lead Georgia past Florida, 9-8, in the championship game of the Little League Southeast Region softball tournament Tuesday at Marshall University’s Dot Hicks Field in Huntington, W.Va.
Like the softball team in 2002 and the baseball squad in 2007, Warner Robins American Little League has again earned a World Series berth. This time it’s Aug. 13-19 in Portland, Ore.

Bill writes…

“THE GIRLS LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES FOR 11/12 YEAR OLDS WILL BE HELD 13 THRU 19 IN PORTLAND OREGON. CARSON COULD BE ON ESPN IF THE SOUTHEASTERN TEAM FROM WARNER ROBINS ,GA MAKES THE SEMIFINALS.

“WISH THE GIRLS LUCK AND WATCH IF YOU HAVE TIME. WE ARE BUSY MAKING ARRANGEMENTS TO ATTEND. THIS WILL BE OUR THIRD LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES. WE ARE EXCITED…LIFE IS GOOD.”

-BILL CARRIKER

Photo of Dalton and his grandaddy Bill (2008)

Butting Heads in August

It’s the middle of August. 1953. Temperature (in the shade) is 90 degrees. But we were in the Sun; dressed in the same outfits we would wear in late November. We had been running, jumping, banging full speed into blocking dummies and each other for two hours. But the ordeal was almost over. Soon we would be sipping our first taste of glorious water and relieve the awful symptoms of “cotton mouth.” In addition to water we were given a “salt pill” to make up for all that sweating that had drained from our bodies.

Football practice was almost over for the day. Just one ritual left.

“Wind sprints,” Coach Madden yelled out. “the guy who comes in last, takes one lap around the track.”

We lined up on the 20 yard line and raced as fast as we could to the goal line. Sometimes, if the coach wasn’t pleased with the way the practice went that day, we would do 2 or 3 wind sprints and maybe the whole team would be instructed to run a couple of “laps” around the quarter mile track.

Then, it was over. Until the next day at 9 o’clock.

There were two practices a day, 9am til 12 and 2 til 4. This went on for 2 to 3 weeks.

Now, when my 73 year old mind wanders into that twilight zone in the brain…and I fantasize about being young and in high school again, I think ALGEBRA and WINDSPRINTS and suddenly I’m back to reality….and thankful for it.

-Ed

Texas Gold

News from Jackie Pickard Marcotte:

“Chuck and I are well, and feel very blessed with our new granddaughter. Sadie McKayla is the daughter of our son Tom and wife Celani. Tom works for ExxonMobil as did his Dad who is now retired. Celani is on maternity leave from ExxonMobil at the time being. They both work in Human Relations. They live in Sugar Land, TX, about 45 minutes from where we live in Houston. Both Tom and Celani are graduates with masters from Texas A&M University. I retired from local school system after 15 years as attendance clerk. While caring for family members health needs, we have not done a great deal of traveling so don’t have any news there.”

Al Selby Checks In

Rolling right along…..Al Selby tells about a great historical journey ….in a mobile home!

“In June Nancy & I took our 9 year old granddaughter, AVERY, on a civil war journey which she had just finished studying (her request). We started at Appomatox, hit Montecello and Manassas, and ended up in Gettysburg. It was a great week in the motor home.

In July Nancy and I took our 7 year old granddaughter, AMBER, on a trip up the NC outer banks to see some aquariums (her request). This was her first trip in the motor home. We started in Wilmington and visited the NC Aquarium at Ft Fisher, then visited the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, rode the ferry to Ocracoke Island and visited the lighthouse, then to Hatteras and visited the lighthouse, then to Kill Devil Hill to the Wright Brothers Memorial, then to the NC Aquarium at Manteo (Roanoke Island), and finally home. It was a great week with our youngest grandchild. By the Way, AMBER states the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is the best with Ft Fisher a close second.

We are busy planning a trip to Washington to see the monuments with the 4 oldest grandchildren the week of August 10th (age 9 – 17); and a trip to San Diego in September for the annual convention of my retirees association. More on that later.“

AL SELBY

(Al, when yaw’ll get up to the Washington area be sure to stop by and visit the CHS54 Institution. Guided tours are conducted weekly from 9am til 5pm. The complex is only 6 miles from the White House, as the crow flies. It’s a little longer in a Mobile Home.)

-Ed

A Sweet Story

While waiting for more “up-dates” from you ‘54 Wildcats, I want to pass along something sweet!

Fresh off the UPS truck…from the swamps of Wewahichka, Florida to my front door, the finest HONEY in the world! That’s not just my opinion either. I think they even made a movie about it, but I don’t know about that. I read about it in an outdated magazine at my dentist’s office. (It’s an ill wind that blows no good.).

It’s called TUPELO HONEY.…Its only found in swamp lands in the deep south where the Tupelo trees grow and it’s very difficult to get because there’s such a short time to harvest it….before the other flowers bloom and the bees start mixing inferior honey with the TUPELO HONEY.

And, it ain’t cheap.

But it’s the best I’ve ever tasted….it’s NOT sweet, sweet….like other honeys….in fact I understand that some doctors allow their diabetic patients to eat it. (However, be sure to check with your doctor about that!)

At the next board of directors meeting I am going to recommend that it be designated as THE OFFICIAL HONEY OF THE CHS54 Website.

Take a look at their WEBSITE and try a small jar to see if you like it.

Up Dates

Thanks to Jerry Gaudet’s latest “Blast eMail,” responses are pouring in.

Well…….Perhaps that’s a little too enthusiastic…….they’re actually “trickling” in.

However, they’re all exactly what we want; an informal “up-date” of your life today!

It’s “Show and Tell” time:

WARREN SPARROW

“In response to Jerry Gaudet’s plea, here is my offering. There are three photos attached to this email. The first is of me reading to grandson Hammond in our living room. The second is this spring’s tulip patch in our front yard. The third is a bunch of cows who stopped in our front yard the other day. They bring new meaning to the phrase “holy cow.”

John Merritt

“I have loved the memories of Central. I often wonder why. I didn’t try very hard in class, at graduation, I still owed the school many hours of detention hall for being tardy, and always seemed to be a little out-of-step with assignments. Nonetheless, most of my fondest recollections are about classes and teachers. Other things, like waterboying Football for you and others, being in a play, lunches across Elizabeth, and just goofing off make those memories very special. Selective memory is better than selective hearing, and nobody has to repeat themselves.

During the twelfth grade I joined the Naval Reserves, and soon after graduation went on active duty. Two years on a destroyer will cause the most difficult cases to mature. I learned a lot, grew up a bunch, saw much of the world, served my country, and earned the GI Bill.

After the Navy, I attended college and eventually graduated a couple of times from East Carolina with degrees in Art and Art Education. After three years in the Charlotte-Mecklenberg system, I returned to EC to teach. After EC, I moved to Gastonia to teach at Gaston College. After four years, I had the itch for more graduate school. I got my doctorate from NC State, and followed that with twenty-six more years of administrative work back at Gaston. Since retirement, I have taught part time, volunteered at Habitat for Humanity, repaired antiques, and attempted to persuade a little white golf ball to go where I wanted despite the laws of physics and my limited aptitude. I was fortunate to marry a woman with patience, personality, and perseverance. Sounds like she was a troll, but actually pretty good looking. We are proud to have three children and two spoiled grandchildren. Our health has been good even though we are slowly attempting to become bionic.

It has been a good life with few regrets– yes, things I didn’t do, not those that I did. If I could go back to being seventeen again, I would decline, but if karma says I must, I hope most of
it will be like the past, and has a school like Central.”

John….the class monitors have been trying to track you down for years to have you make up all those hours you failed to spend in detention hall. We expect you to pay your debt and report to Detention hall on the second Tuesday of every month at Jimmies of Mint Hill. -Ed

PS….In athe FIRST post, I mistakenly said the FIRST Tuesday of the month. What I should have said was the SECOND Tuesday of every month! SECOND Tuesday of the month at Jimmies.

And now a word from our sponsor…

I’ve been forced by the reporter’s union to raise the salaries of the already overpaid
staff here at the CHS54 media complex.

As a consequence, we are forced (once again) to accept advertising at our formally commercial free flagship website.

Please support our sponsors.

-Ed

“People tell me “Gee you look good.” There are three ages of man: youth, middle age, and “Gee, you look good.”"
- Red Skelton

One of the Mystery Girls Identified

Maxcyne Motte Yaworsky was kind enough to email us from way out in Ogdon, Utah

“I was very sorry to hear of John Ballards passing. The picture you posted from Gene Moore has one face that I can identify for you. The girl to the far right of the photo is Emily Killingsworth. She was at Central for her Sophomore year and later (I think) transferred to Myers Park.
She and I connected later at Charlotte Memorial Hospital where we were both Medical Technologists. “

-Maxcyne

Travel Tips

Al Gore’s internet is a wonder to behold! I came upon a site, by accident, that convinced me that we can all throw away our maps…forget the GPS lady….and just ignore your spouse who is making noises like, “you’re driving in circles and don’t know where you are….etc.”

Relax. Just stop in at the nearest filling station or convenience store and pick up a can of RC Cola!

That’s right! It works like this:

If your can on the far left looks like this one, you’re in Columbus, Ohio. If it’s a white can you’re in the mountains of Louisville, KY. If it has white stripes around it like the middle can, you’re in Holland, Mich. If it is narrow and has a yellow stripe around the top, you’re in Chicago.
And if it looks like the can on the far right…with a red stripe around the top……you’ve arrived safely back home in Charlotte.

Happy trails!

THIS JUST IN:

The 15th annual RC and Moon Pie Festival was held last week in Bell Buckle, Tennessee and witnesses say that it was the best one yet! Since we cronologically challenged Wildcats are not due for another reunion for another 5 years or so, I’m going to suggest to the Reunion Commttee that we all meet next June for the RC and Moon Pie Festival. There’s fun for everyone beginning with the RC Moon Pie parade followed by the Moon Pie Toss and the RC Dash. For those of us less athletically inclined there’s Syncronized Wading.

All in all, according to the Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce “it’s a day of fun for young and old celebrating THREE southern traditions: RC Colas, Moon Pies and Historic Bell Buckle, Tennessee…where we are 100 years behind the times and proud of it.“

ONE MORE THING

I don’t know exactly when this old RC Cola bottle was used, but when I saw this picture….it was like a “time machine” transporting me instantly to another time…and another place.

It seems that I was suddenly about 6 years old sitting in the dining room of our house on East 5th Street drinking a “coke.” (We alternated between Cokes, Pepsis, and RC’s….depending on which was on sale at the A&P.) We called them all “Cokes.”

I believe it was those yellow pyramids that set off that journey in my mind. The feeling only lasted for a split second…but it was powerful.

But, of course, the explanation could be a very simple one: creeping senility, first signs of dementia, or perhaps the pyramids I was thinking about were really the ones on that pack of Camel cigarettes….that made me so sick.

-Ed

“You know you’re getting old when you stop to tie your shoes and wonder what else you can do while you’re down there.

“-George Burns