Bearcat Blog - Celebrating One Year of Fun

The little mouse is preparing the accolades for his friend, the Baldwyn Bearcat...

This Blog started one year ago tomorrow (March 1). I have been very pleased with the stories, photos, comments, and above all, the emergence of many old friends here and on the e/mail group. The pictures many of you sent were greatly appreciated. They are the best reminder to us what happened back in those great golden days of our youth in and around the Baldwyn area.

Many of our first friends are not with us anymore. The inevitable will eventually wipe out any of these reminders of our early life and we will be replaced with another generation of grown-up kids. The memories they have of growing up in Baldwyn will also live on for some time.

Again, thank you all for your enthusiasm and assistance with the postings and photos. I am virtually out of material, but hope that what I have remaining will keep us going for as long as possible. Someone said "after all, just how much can you say or write about about a small town 50 years ago?" I would like to reply that there is much to be said, and the memories of scores of people will reveal many pages of memorable events and happenings.

If you have any stories or photos you would like to see here please submit them and we'll be sure to post them.

Thanks and God bless,

Carl

"Come Over to Our House"

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BHS Senior play, 1957

We ran this photo as a blog header photo last year, but since the program associated with the play has surfaced, we decided to make it a permanent posting.

I didn't crop the program after scanning, preferring to show the patina and ragged edges as proof of authenticity.

Most of you can associate a name with a face, but if not we'll be happy to help you match them.
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Photo courtesy of Ellis Christian; program from Betty Massengill and Cynthia Mink.

"Exhausted Roosters" Club, 1992

Catchy acronyms are everywhere. I have heard and seen many over the years, mostly funny more than serious. One that comes to mind was a group on Amateur Radio that I used to talk to - they were known as the NOTHING - "Nitwits Over The Hill Inspirational Nut Group". Funny.

Baldwyn had its' share of colorful characters also, as seen in the photos. These were serious people in their heyday but when retired, took on a completely different, humorous nature.

Morning coffee groups are prevalent in all locations, and their group names are meant to be descriptive and colorful. So were the "Exhausted Roosters".

Some are now gone on to a new group, and a few are still around. Great group of guys...

Some of us remaining roosters are not entirely exhausted yet, but we are working on it. HMMMM....
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Thanks Betty M. and Cynthia M.

More old photos from Readers

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Photos from top to bottom:

Top: Tommy Bryant, we are pretty sure.

Second: Joe Cunningham and Doug White rasslin', a favorite pastime of young guys trying to show their budding strength .

Third: Jimmy and Gail.

Fourth: Yvonne and Cynthia with others at the front steps of BHS.

Lower: Betty Smith and ??? Could use some help with the guy's ID.
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Thanks Betty and Cynthia!

Early 50s Bearcat basketball Teams

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Can anyone verify the year of this team photo?

Submitted by Betty Massengill

Baldwyn National Guard Unit, 1957

ADDITIONAL PHOTO. (above)

Some readers have asked about individuals that are not in the earlier posted photo below, so here is an additional photo with others pictured. Notice Jim "Smooth" Agnew, Carlos White, SSG Miles Donahue, SSG Paul Hamblin, and several others that need to be identified.

Some have asked about the person in both photos who is holding the guidon. It is SSG Dudley Dyer. In the above photo, holding the flag extended is 1SGT J. C. Morris.

There is another cook behind Leroy Chism who I can't ID.
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This unit, the 1-108th Armored Calvary Regiment, was moved to Baldwyn in the mid 1950s and was quartered in a new armory just west of the Blue Bell factory on US 45 north. Prior to that, it had meetings in the second floor room of the main street post office, and before that, a truck from Tupelo picked us up and transported us to Tupelo for Monday night training meetings.

Commanded at this time by 1LT Richard Arnold, front left, it was composed of many WW2 veterans.

I started my military career with this unit in 1956, and can recall many of the soldiers pictured here.

On the front rows I can recall Bobby Hamblin, Ivo Bernard, Pat Nelson, Dud Dyer, Carl Martin, Dennis Meek, J. C. Morris.

Others in the ranks are Dewey Chism, Virgil Buse, Charles Brigman, Carl Johnson, Henry Outlaw, John Olan Cunningham, James Elder Richey, Hulon Cox, Bobby Corbett??, Johnny Massengill, and several others of whom I can't recall the names.

The cooks (in whites) are Bernis Lewis, Leroy Chism, Doug Pruitt, (I cannot recall the cook behind Doug).

This photo is from annual training at Camp Shelby, MS in the summer of 1957.
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Photos courtesy of Betty Massengill.