Growing Up in Midland

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

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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The Story of Four Boys from Midland

As told by Charlie Huggins (MHS Class of 1964)

This picture is 1997 at the Governor’s Mansion at our reunion.  From left to right are John Barker, Eddie Klatt, Charlie Huggins, and Butch Parks.

Eddie Klatt graduated the same year as me, 1964.  We had gone to school together at South Elementary, Cowden Junior High and Midland High School, Odessa College and North Texas State University. I was friends with him until his passing in June of 2020. I used to love calling him to talk about old times. We had a lot of good memories. I remember the first year that we arrived at North Texas University in 1966. Eddie, another classmate of ours, Butch Parks, and I all roomed together in an apartment close to the North Texas campus. The three of us shared the very small apartment with three half beds.  There was not very much room there. At the end of the semester, I decided to stay in the same apartment complex but to move to an efficiency apartment by myself. This would allow Butch and Eddie to remain in the first apartment and have more room. We all hung out together and we had some good times. Eddie went to school at North Texas until 1968, and then he moved back to Midland. Eddie joined the fire department shortly thereafter. He remained with the Midland Fire Department for 32 years and his last held position there was Assistant Fire Chief. Eddie’s father had been a Fire Marshal back in the day, and Eddie was familiar with being a fire fighter. My son, Josh, is also a fire fighter and he is a Captain. Eddie and I used to talk about my son and Eddie was glad to know that my son was also a fire fighter. Being a fire fighter was Eddie’s life and he was really well respected. When Eddie died in June, they had a graveside service and they played “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes. It was very beautiful. Even though his service was during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people came to the service because many people knew him. He had lived in Midland almost all of his life. Eddie was married to Cindy Shoeman. They were married for over 30 years and lived on West Holloway.

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