Birge, Miles Gregory, and Weir Goodwin arrived in 1945, along with line coach Lee McLaughlin, a U.Va. All-American, after his military discharge. It was Chris Holland who interested Weir Goodwin in Episcopal. The two had been elementary schoolmates in Short Hills, N.J., and had played six-man football together. Chris, whose father was C.V. Holland ’17, had entered in 1944 and reported for early football practice in August of 1945. He told Bus of Weir’s athleticism. Phone calls were made to Weir and his family, and an application for admission was quickly dispatched to the Goodwins. Weir was accepted and working out with the varsity before he could memorize the football schedule, school songs, and cheers as required of all rats. Ironically, Bus first placed Weir at Chris’ halfback position, but he proved so versatile that he was shifted to other slots, and Chris got his job back. During his three years, Weir performed as a back, center, and eventually at end, where Bus said he should have been all along and where he earned All-Metropolitan honors. Yet at Virginia Military Institute, where he was captain of the Keydets his senior year, Weir played guard. In early January, when the South’s deep freeze threatened Florida’s citrus crop, Henry Schacht’s son, Louis Schacht, was seen on CNN telling of the measures they had taken to protect grapefruit, oranges, and tangelos in the Schacht groves in Vero Beach, Fla. Henry has met with Stuart Gilchrist ’47 and Hunter McGuire ’47 for a mini-reunion and hopes to get together with Jack Clarkson, newly inducted EHS Athletics Hall of Fame member (basketball) Charlie Gamble ’50, and Ralph Williams ’50, who co-captained the 1948 and 1949 football teams, in Ponte Vedra, Fla. Charlie and Ralph starred at center and guard on Centennial Gym’s hardwood in 1948 when
class
Henry captained the Maroon hoopsters. Bob Richardson (no relation, alas) led a pick-up baseball team on Greenway Field in 1947 called “Roach’s Bottlers.” The next year he was the starting shortstop for Coach Bill Ravenel’s varsity baseball squad before going on to Yale. Bob stays in shape by bowling regularly, and he writes that “Episcopal has changed much for the better, but I enjoyed what we had nonetheless.” The University of Alabama won the 2009 college football title, and rebel yells are still coming form the direction of ’Bama grads Grace and Pete Eastwood, who live in Birmingham. Pete says he sees David Higgins often and he also runs into former Nashvillian Hugh Morgan ’46, an EHS Trustee Emeritus, and Pete’s second cousin, Jim McVoy ’45. Jim has put his U.S. Navy captain’s uniform in mothballs. Pete’s first cousins (are all Alabamians related?) are Greeley McGowin ’41 and Floyd McGowin. Floyd spent three years on The Hill then graduated from Lawrenceville and Yale. According to Pete, the McGowin brothers retired from their lumber business when it was acquired by Union Camp Corp. Also, from other classes, Tommy Schneider ’43 followed his father, Thomas E. Schneider ’16, to Episcopal and finished at Washington and Lee after serving in World War II. Mr. Schneider went from EHS to U.Va. and played on the same basketball team with Edwin B. Meade, father of Eddie Meade ’43 and our Frank Meade. After graduation, Tommy’s dad received his law degree from W&L and was eligible to continue his basketball. Once, in a low-scoring game, W&L defeated the Cavaliers 9-8, with Mr. Schneider tallying all nine points for the Generals to the applause of the W&L fans in the stands. Just as his father had done, while at W&L Tommy wooed and wed a great-looking Sweet Briar girl, Bettye Wright. Last year, Tommy received bravos from his
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many friends after they had seen a musical play, “Stages,” which he had written and for which one of his backers was Bernard Neal ’44.
1949
Winston Holt 209 Nottingham Road Richmond, VA 23221-3114 (H) 804-359-1634 (O) 804-780-2030 wholt@davenportllc.com
1950
Gish Anderson 109 Oak Hill Lane New Bern, NC 28562 (H) 252-635-6562 gishgay@earthlink.net and John Ritchie 1848 Westview Road Charlottesville, VA 22903 (H) 434-984-4729 jritchiejr32@yahoo.com 60th Reunion: June 11-12, 2010
This has been a tough winter so far on the east coast with a December snowstorm the highlight so far. (I am writing in late January.) Here in Charlottesville, we are getting our share, including 20 inches in the December storm and another snowstorm expected this weekend. But perhaps we have something to learn from our northern friends. Jim McNeely writes from Boston, “The skiing has been good around my house in Maine this winter with very cold weather, lots of snow, and little rain.” So the storm which took me and my neighbors weeks to dig out from was just an opportunity for great skiing in New England. Don Scott, who lives on Cape Cod, had a different cold weather strategy. He wrote, “All is well with Carol and me. Visited Hawaii (Kauai) for the first time in December – and missed major blizzard.” Jim is alert to this approach also as he writes, “We [Jim and his wife, Bobby] will spend two weeks in Key West and Sanibel in late February and early March.”
I was fortunate to be able to attend the luncheon at The High School this fall honoring seven individuals and two undefeated football teams with induction into the EHS Athletics Hall of Fame. Three of our classmates were among the honorees. Two, Ralph Williams and Nick Gianakos, were members of the 1947 football team. Ralph earned his letter as a tough defensive end and became a hard-hitting halfback and co-captain of the 1948 and 1949 squads. Nick was manager of the 1947 squad and then, although he was only 5 feet 7 inches and 138 pounds, became a vicious tackling defensive end and letterman on the 1949 squad. Charlie Gamble was recognized with induction as one of the most accomplished athletes ever at The High School. He earned varsity letters in football, basketball, baseball, and track and field, as well as the Rinehart Medal as The High School’s best athlete. He went on to be a starter on the University of Virginia’s freshman and varsity basketball teams for four years. Charlie is the first member of our class to be individually inducted. “Tree,” as we know him, attended the ceremonies and spoke well. He appeared in good health and looks every bit his playing height of 6 feet 5 inches. There was a large crowd that included the honorees’ families and friends at the excellent luncheon served in the handsomely remodeled Stewart Gymnasium, which sparkled with freshly shellacked floors and whitewashed walls. Charlie is the first member of our class inducted individually into the Hall of Fame, although I believe I should mention that Dick Rutledge ’51 was inducted with Charlie, since Dick was almost a member of the great Class of 1950 and captained the 1950 tennis team that still is the last undefeated tennis team at The High School. Dick enters the Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 1951, which is a nice group, also. Gordon Leggett writes, “My
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