Author: What's in the Water

Midland to Moscow-and back

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Written by Gere Gaige

In Midland I spent three years of elementary school, and three years of high school before leaving for Texas Tech and a pre-med Chemistry degree.  My parents lived there a bit longer before Mobil Oil transferred my geologist father to Houston.  So I had ten total years connected to the Midland water, before entering the U.S. Air Force in 1968 to become an instructor and spin demonstration pilot until our national “conflict” ended in 1973.  Those ten Midland years were to be followed a bit later in life by 15 years working and living in Russia helping to form the new real estate market in the changing post-Soviet economy. 

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Midland Memories Part 3

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Written by Fred Underwood

During the summer between my Junior and Senior year, two events of note happened.  First, we moved from Terminal to a house we rented at 1100 West Illinois.  When I walked out the front door and kept on walking across the street, I found myself on the walkway to the main entrance to Midland High School.  Across the street to the right of our house was the Youth Center.  To me, it was an ideal location.  I enjoyed school so much that I was the first one to school almost every day.  The second event was that I became sweet on a young lady who could sing like a diva.  To spend more time with her, I joined the Youth Choir at the First Medothist Church.  The Minister of Music insisted that I sing tenor instead of the melody.  When I got it right, I fell in love with harmony.  A song was put in my heart, and I didn’t care which one it was.  Just so you know my status, when I sang, I perceived that I sounded like Jim Neighbors.  When I heard my voice recorded, I realized that everyone else was hearing Gomer Pyle.

Football season started immediately.  Our ineligibility year was over, so Gus Baker, David Laverty, Guy Vanderpool, and Fred Underwood became members of the practice team preparing the Varsity for the games.  Coach Tugboat Jones and his single-wing offense did very well.  In District play, we lost to Odessa and soundly beat Lubbock  Lubbock then beat Odessa.  We were all set to be in a three-way tie for District Champions.  All we had to do was to earn a win over little Lamesa (the district doormat).  Alas, we lost 14 to 12.  As I recall it, after the end of football season, the sweet young thing that put a song in my heart dumped me for a basketball player.  I still thank her for putting that song in my heart.  She now lives in Albuquerque

I took every math course the school offered and all the science courses except biology.  I thoroughly enjoyed my two years living in Midland.  After graduation, I went to the U.S. Naval Academy and retired 32 years later.  By that time, I had no connections left in Midland.  So we retired in Appomattox, Va.

Growing Up in Midland

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Written by Harry Miller

Things I remember growing up in Midland Tx!!
Goat heads and sticker burrs
Dugout forts , in vacant lots, covered with plywood and then dirt.
Christmas tree forts from thrown out Christmas trees after Christmas 
Catching toads after rains. 
Catching tadpoles ,tadpole shrimp and ferry shrimp in rain filled pounds. 
Clod fights
Actually going out onto the tarmac to get on a commercial plane or to great your friends after a plane landed. 
They were prop planes then.
Wearing a suit and tie to travel by plane and having to use the barf bags in rough weather. 
TTA Trans Texas Airlines

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Memories of Midland- Part 1

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By Paula Crites Pieri

Some people think we are making things up when we talk about how wonderful things were in the 50s and early 60s.  I have never talked to anyone who grew up during that time that ever said anything bad about it. So as I scan the paper, and watch TV News, and see what a terrible shape the world is in today, I thought I would write a little about what it was like growing up in the 40s, 50s and 60s and how different it was then than it is today. Some things are better now, Women’s Rights, race relations, medicine-we have nicer houses, and bigger and better “things”. However the essence, the quality, the honesty and the simple pleasure of our life during the 50s is so hard to explain…but I will try. 

Growing up in a small West Texas town may not seem very exciting; however, I had such wonderful memories of my childhood that I just had to write them down, before they are forgotten. Midland was a small town then and we knew most everyone. Many of the friends I made then are the friends I have today.    

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Memories of Midland- Part 2

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By Paula Crites Pieri

I went to North Elementary and remember it fondly. We used to walk to school every day gathering a little group of friends as we walked along. I still remember those kids and can recognize them in our 3rd grade Rhythm Band photo. When I was in the 5th grade, I was playing Deep Roving Right Field, hoping no one would hit a ball my way, when I met a little girl, Emily Stall, who had just transferred from West Elementary. She was to become my best friend and still is today. She lived on the corner of A Street and Club House Drive, just across from the Country Club, then the Elks Club, now the park with the lake. Most of our calls ended with “Meet me at the corner I have something to tell you” and I would run down the alley and we would meet halfway. She introduced me to the world of bossy big sisters and snoopy little brothers.

I went to Cowden in Jr. High. The “cut off” for Cowden and the new school, San Jacinto, was Cuthbert, the street behind Storey. All my friends went to San Jacinto and I went to Cowden. I didn’t really enjoy Cowden, since I didn’t know that many people. Thank goodness there was High School.

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Memories of Midland- Part 3

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By Paula Crites Pieri

I always loved horses and was so excited every year when World Championship Rodeo would come to town. The Rodeo parade was a highlight. We would sit on the fence on A Street and watch all the cowboys and floats go by. Some of the MHS band played at the rodeo, and my boyfriend played the base drum in the band. Fortunately, it was a large instrument, because I would sneak in every night, under the drum, so I would get in for free. I would sit on the rail and watch the whole rodeo –up close and personal. One time, it got a little too personal. One of the grand entry people came up and asked if I could ride, and I said yes. First of all, I had read every horse book and rented horses every year in Ruidoso, and, in my head, I thought I could ride. It became apparent, immediately, that thinking and reading and dreaming about horses does not make a good rider. I did get through the whole grand entry, probably with a look of sheer terror on my face, while galloping around in the arena. Fortunately I didn’t fall off and learned a very valuable lesson. DO NOT volunteer to do something unless you are VERY sure you know how to do it.

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Growing Up in Midland

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Story as told by Charley Huggins

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Charley’s audio is transcribed below:

This is Charlie Huggins. I graduated from Midland High School in 1964. I started first grade for one semester in a community in east Midland called Greenwood.  We moved to town and I started second semester of the first grade at South Elementary in Midland.  I stayed there until the fifth grade. I then moved to West Elementary for one year (6th grade).  I went to Cowden Junior High 7th-9th grades and Midland High School 10th-12th grades. I met a lot of friends there. Some of them I still keep up with, and unfortunately, some of them have already passed away. Probably my best friend was Eddie Klatt. He also graduated Midland High School in 1964, and he just passed away June 2020. I was also friends with John Barker. He passed away in the fall of 2019. I was also good friends with Roy Vaughan. He graduated in 1963. He still lives in Midland in a retirement home. He moved back a couple of years ago, and I still keep up with him.

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Memories of Midland

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Story as told by Charley Huggins

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The audio of Charley’s story is transcribed below:

I remember in high school on Friday and Saturday nights when we didn’t have anything to do, we would go “paper” girls’ houses. We would go wrap these girls’ houses in toilet paper. Two of my friends, Clyde Jones (MHS 64), and Roy Vaughn (MHS 63) and I would go and wrap these girls’ houses. Clyde’s girlfriend was Carol Osborne (MHS 64) and we wrapped hers several weeks in a row!  Carol’s Dad got tired of us doing this and one night he came out and Clyde had just jumped off the roof. He had been up there on the roof and he had thrown a roll of toilet paper down the chimney! As soon as he jumped down, Mr. Osborne was standing there, and Clyde took off running. I was waiting in the car and I took off, and I picked him up down the street. We quit papering houses after that!

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