I don't remember when we last talked, but it was in the 1990s, I think. During our junior high and early high school years were both having to attend Sunday School at St. Matthews Baptist Church every week almost without exception. I remember as a young kid having to miss the showing of the "Wizard of Oz" because I couldn't miss the Sunday night Royal Ambassadors, which you also attended, I think .There were some other regulars there, but their names escape me at the moment. I do remember Bobby Stocker was there some though. Your presence made the Sunday School classes tolerable and possible to survive, and I appreciate that very much. In high school we were still friends, but moved in different circles.
When we did talk in the 90s, I didn't process that your call was related to your facing an untimely death not too much afterwards. I don't know if I was feeling defensive about the issue of death and blocked it out, or what. I regret not being capable of talking to you directly about what was happening with you.
I was glad to say that your questions about the "quote" that was placed in the yearbook for you was done with a lot of thought. My memory is that Anne Thompson '66 and I discussed that quote and how well it fit you at the time. I'm glad you could see how that was our intention and were able to experience the positive feeling we both had about selecting it.
You were a good buddy earlier in my life, and I wish I had been more mature and perceptive about what you might have needed in a more global way when you were facing what was happening far too soon. I was sad to have heard about your passing.
You will be with our class reunion in spirit and I appreciate that very much.
OK, Darryl, this is the last one. No one may know this now, or maybe some of your old school mates do. In the last year or two there was this teenager, Alyssa Kramer is her name, I think, and she was on Jimmy Kimmel, and the Tonight Show and a bunch of shows because she was on YOUTUBE showing how she could read any word backwards. A person would say a word, and she, quite quickly would see the word on a page in her head sort, of and then turn the page around and phonetically pronounce the word correctly. It was astonishing really, and funny and fun to watch. She made it fun too.
What I mean about people not knowing this is that I remember in school that you, Darryl, used to do this from time to time. There was no Youtube then, of course, but we would say some word, and you would then pronounce it backwards. It was pretty amazing, back before 1966,
Maybe lots of kids can do that, and maybe it didn't have any practical application so no one ever talked about it but you sure could do it and you did it 50 years before Alyssa!
Jim Byassee
to Darryl Bennett:
I don't remember when we last talked, but it was in the 1990s, I think. During our junior high and early high school years were both having to attend Sunday School at St. Matthews Baptist Church every week almost without exception. I remember as a young kid having to miss the showing of the "Wizard of Oz" because I couldn't miss the Sunday night Royal Ambassadors, which you also attended, I think .There were some other regulars there, but their names escape me at the moment. I do remember Bobby Stocker was there some though. Your presence made the Sunday School classes tolerable and possible to survive, and I appreciate that very much. In high school we were still friends, but moved in different circles.
When we did talk in the 90s, I didn't process that your call was related to your facing an untimely death not too much afterwards. I don't know if I was feeling defensive about the issue of death and blocked it out, or what. I regret not being capable of talking to you directly about what was happening with you.
I was glad to say that your questions about the "quote" that was placed in the yearbook for you was done with a lot of thought. My memory is that Anne Thompson '66 and I discussed that quote and how well it fit you at the time. I'm glad you could see how that was our intention and were able to experience the positive feeling we both had about selecting it.
You were a good buddy earlier in my life, and I wish I had been more mature and perceptive about what you might have needed in a more global way when you were facing what was happening far too soon. I was sad to have heard about your passing.
You will be with our class reunion in spirit and I appreciate that very much.
Goodbye,
Jim Byassee
Jim Byassee
OK, Darryl, this is the last one. No one may know this now, or maybe some of your old school mates do. In the last year or two there was this teenager, Alyssa Kramer is her name, I think, and she was on Jimmy Kimmel, and the Tonight Show and a bunch of shows because she was on YOUTUBE showing how she could read any word backwards. A person would say a word, and she, quite quickly would see the word on a page in her head sort, of and then turn the page around and phonetically pronounce the word correctly. It was astonishing really, and funny and fun to watch. She made it fun too.
What I mean about people not knowing this is that I remember in school that you, Darryl, used to do this from time to time. There was no Youtube then, of course, but we would say some word, and you would then pronounce it backwards. It was pretty amazing, back before 1966,
Maybe lots of kids can do that, and maybe it didn't have any practical application so no one ever talked about it but you sure could do it and you did it 50 years before Alyssa!
Best to your memory, or yromem
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