RIP

RIP- Sally (Lindsey) Melzer

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TO ALL:Sweet Sally (Lindsey) Melzer passed away today, due to a sudden heart attack. She was a 1965 graduate of Midland High School and was married to Steve Melzer, a 1964 graduate of Midland High School as well. Please keep Steve and their two boys and families in your thoughts and prayers.
May you all continue to have good health. Stay well, enjoy life, love your family and friends, for we never know. Please pass this on to as many as you know or remember.My Best wishes to all.

Dennis “Wemus” Grubb Dallas, Texas

Sally Lindsey Melzer passed into the Lord’s hands on February 19, 2020 just two days after a day of phone calls with her beloved sons and granddaughters on her 73rd birthday.

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Susie Marinis Evans (RIP) October 22, 1946 – April 19, 2021

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Submitted by Pete Creasey

Susan Marinis Evans passed away peacefully on April 19, 2021 in Midland, Texas surrounded by loving family. She was born October 22, 1946 in Dallas, Texas to her parents, Dr. Thomas and Betty Sue Marinis. The Marinis family moved to Midland, Texas in 1950 where Susie attended Sam Houston Elementary, San Jacinto Jr. High, and Midland High School before going on to The University of Texas at Austin. At Sam Houston Elementary Susie served on the male dominated safety patrol. Susie was a cheerleader in junior high and high school and her senior year in high school she was on the Catoica Court. Her high school friends have remained her lifelong friends. At the University of Texas at Austin, where Susie met many more friends for life, she pledged Kappa Alpha Theta. She met Donald L. Evans, the love of her life, the spring of her freshman year. Susie went on to work at the State Capitol before moving to Houston, Texas in 1968 to work for the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski.

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A Tribute to John L Barker (MHS 1964)

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June 10, 2022 a special tribute to Cpt John L Barker took place at the American Legion in Midland, Texas. Friends and Family of the late John Barker gathered to celebrate his military career. Lunch was catered by Michael’s Charcoal Grill. Dr. John McElligott, founder of the “What’s in the Water in Midland, Texas” blog presented Becky Dillard Barker (MHS 1964) with her late husband’s military honors. The following article and pictures appeared in the Class of 1964 newsletter:

RIP-Knox Dillon Nunnally

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Knox Dillon Nunnally, “Ocho-Ocho”, left us at ten o’clock in the evening on Monday, the 16th of July 2012. He has taken his last stiff drink of yesterday’s wine and danced his last dance. The mariachis are still playing and his beloved bird boys are crying in the rain. Ocho-Ocho came by his nickname from his many hunting trips to the once tranquil dove shooting fields of northern Mexico that he loved so much, in and around the Rio San Diego Hunting Club outside of Ciudad Acuña, and at the No Le Hace Lodge in the San Fernando Valley, where he established a very special relationship with his bird boys. He enjoyed their company as they did his. Waves of chants of “Viva Ocho-Ocho!” often went down the shooting line in honor of a particularly fine shot and were always sent in good humor to Ocho-Ocho’s hunting companions. At the end of the shooting, when it came time for bragging rights and cervezas were being shared, his bird boys always made sure his bag of dove was as full as any shooter’s bag.

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Remembering John Payne (RIP)

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John Lynn Payne, of North Richland Hills, TX, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Monday, March 29. He will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, granddad, son, brother, friend, and bandmate to all who knew and loved him.

He was born on July 3, 1945, in Altus, Oklahoma, to Clyde and Thelma (Goolsby) Payne. John received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in May 1969 from Texas Technological College before it became Texas Tech University. He met his wife Gyendolyn Rice at Tech, and after a short courtship, they were married March 25, 1967.

John loved music and was an accomplished musician on many instruments, especially fiddle and guitar. He was in several bands throughout college and later in life as well. As a founding member of The Sensations in college, the group played gigs across West Texas, touring in their signature yellow hearse! He was most recently a member of The Back Beats, performing classics from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s at local restaurants and private events. He recorded two CDs – one with his band The American Classics, and a solo CD where he sang and played all the instruments.

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RIP- Peter Lekisch (MHS Class of 1959)

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Long-time Alaskan Peter Allen Lekisch died on December 27, 2013, due to complications from surgery to correct atrial fibrillation.

Peter was born in Midland, Texas on January 7, 1941, to Dorle and Kurt Lekisch, M.D., F.A.C.P. He grew up participating in all school sports, especially enjoying football. During the summer of 1959, Peter traveled to Sens on the Yonne, France, where he lived with a French family who continued to manufacture corset stays from the keratinous material of baleen whales. Just before the thirty American students left for home, their French brothers and sisters voted Peter the most all-American of his fellow students. This was significant as Peter was a first-generation American.

Peter enjoyed playing football at Midland High School, The Pomfret School, Pomfret, Connecticut, and three years at Ohio Wesleyan University where he was voted captain of the football team his senior year. After graduating from college in 1963 he attended graduate studies at Cornell University, followed by law school at the University of Texas, Austin.

In 1967, he graduated from law school and moved to Alaska to work at the law firm of Robison McCaskey. It was there that Peter met Andrew “Andy” Hoge and the two later left to form the firm Hoge & Lekisch. Peter and Andy practiced law together for over three decades until Peter retired from practice in 2000. Peter specialized in real estate transactions; he was the principal real estate attorney for a number of developments during the period of Anchorage’s greatest growth.

Athletics and the outdoors were a central part of Peter’s life. The first winter in Alaska he nearly froze to death on a New Years Eve camping trip to Flattop Mountain. With no tent and only a thin sleeping bag, he barely survived the minus fifteen degree temperatures. He then took up downhill skiing and broke so many pairs of skis that the local sporting goods shops were very happy when he moved on to cross-country skiing. Among his achievements: running the Boston Marathon, competing in the American Birkebeiner cross-country ski marathon in Wisconsin, co-founding the Anchorage Racquet Club, competing in the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race with friends Jim Mendenhall, Bob Voris and George Stransky and riding on a relay with these same friends in the Race Across America. He was the first soloist over age sixty to complete the Race Across America, set a world age group record in indoor rowing, and co-founded The Fireweed 400 bicycle race which raises money for athletics in Alaska. He was also part of the same high-intensity circuit training group for over thirty years. Those who followed Jay Caldwell’s entertaining description of Peter’s age sixty record-setting cycling performance in the Race Across America from Portland, OR to Pensacola, FL could not help but be impressed with his courage and his physical and mental toughness.

The Lekisch family enjoyed many activities together, including rafting, tennis, and bicycling. Peter and his wife Ellen traversed the United States on a tandem bicycle in a sequence of trips. Peter also enjoyed fly fishing and nature photography. He had a keen, artistic eye, much to the satisfaction of his artist mother and displayed that talent in pursuit of his later interest in outdoor photography.

Peter will be remembered as a good friend. He enjoyed putting together slideshows and taking photos at local sporting events, especially the Arctic Cross bicycle races. While an accomplished fly fisherman, he took even greater joy in sharing his love of the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers with friends. He preferred rowing his friends in his drift boat to landing his own fish.

Peter was preceded in death by his son, Andrew and is survived by his wife, Ellen Lekisch; daughter, Jennifer Lekisch, Seattle, WA; sister, Barbara Lekisch, San Rafael, CA; and niece, Hallie Webster, San Luis Obispo, CA. A celebration of Peter’s life will be held at 3:30 p.m., Thursday, January 23, 2014 at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage. In lieu of flowers, tax-deductible donations may be made to the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage for the Peter Lekisch Project; Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage, 203 W 15th Ave #204, Anchorage, AK 99501.

RIP- Conrad (Cornbread) Dorsey LHS

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By John Mcelligott

Conrad and I met at Alamo in the 8th grade. Conrad later became “Cornbread” to everyone. I remember he was a good athlete, and very out going. In the 10th grade we skipped school at MHS together along with WG and Gene Clark. Everyone started smoking that year except me and a few others. That year was spent at the youth center and the back row of the Texan Drive In just west of town. Crazy nights were had at both. Conrad moved to LHS his 11th and 12th grade years and he still was a major party animal  along with WG and a few others at Lee HS. Conrad’s college days are a mystery to me but he did join the US Army from 63-69. Not sure what he did but it most likely included beer drinking and chasing women. My only story about Conrad was a hunting trip out at Candelaria with Harry, OB and several others. I pulled up and told him I was a game warden and needed his ID. He pissed all over himself and produced his Driver License. I looked at it, took of my sunglasses, and said are you Cornbread? He finally realized it was “LJ” as they called me in high school. Everyone laughed and we proceeded to drink more beer and shot some doves that Labor Dy weekend.  The picture above is at J Jones’ house, and I arranged to get Cornbread some hearing aids form the VA since he was exposed to artillery frequently and I new the VA well.  Tried the same with John Franklin but he insisted he was not deaf. But he was and I am not sure why he could not hear well. 
I hope WG, OB, and Andrew can add to Conrad’s story. Conrad died in March 2015.

Robert Meadows (RIP)-The Last Hunting Trip

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As told by Harry Miller:


The Last Hunting Trip with Robert Meadows (RIP), OB Jackson, Andrew Jackson, Richard Wood, Harry Miller and John Meadows

John Meadows had an annual camping event on the Baker’s River in Pandale, Texas. The event included a dove hunt. This particular year, Harry called OB Jackson and asked if the dove hunting in the area was any good.  OB says that for the past 3 years, no one has shot a thing. This gave Harry a very good idea, and with that information he decided to have a little fun!

At the time, Harry was the Owner and Director of Westgate Pet & Bird Hospital, Austin, Texas. The City would pick up dead animals at Harry’s office.  Unless the animal was being buried, they would store them in the freezer. So, the night before the annual camping event, Harry went to the freezer and proceeded to pull out some frozen birds, a large 4-foot Tegu lizard and a squirrel. He placed them all in his satchel and headed to the ranch.  The next morning, all the men were sitting around the campfire drinking beer.  Harry looks at Robert Meadows and says, “Let’s go get some doves.”  They both grab their guns and satchels and head out.  By this time, the frozen carnage in Harry’s satchel/bag was defrosted, and looked fresh as if it has just died.  

As they head out, Harry let’s Robert in on the prank and tells him he has all of these frozen/defrosted birds in his bag. Harry tells Robert to make it appear they are out shooting and finding lots of game. They proceed to fire the guns into the air high and to the left. They both holler every once in a while, for added effect. Meanwhile, Harry and Robert were really just looking around and searching for arrowheads. They probably looked around for close to an hour.  

They returned to the campfire, and eight people were sitting around drinking beer. They all were eager and curious to hear all about the hunting excursion. They all talked about all the shots they heard, and wanted to know how many they got.   Harry says “Yeah, we got 3 white winged doves” and reaches into his bag, grabs 3 cockatiels. The men around the fire sit up and say, “those aren’t white winged doves, look at those orange cheeks?”  They ask, “Did you get anything else?” So, Harry reaches in the bag, grabs a parakeet and throws it on the ground. Everyone looked in amazement. “What else did you get?” Harry proceeds to throw down 4-5 “chicksicles” and says see that farmhouse over the fence, well these were running around, and well, I didn’t know.. so I shot em” 

Everyone was still looking puzzled, when Harry proceeds to throw down the lizard. Everyone yells “Is that a Gila Monster?” Harry says, “I dunno… it was crossing the road, so I shot it.”

Next, he throws down a squirrel. Boys say, “There’s no trees out there” Harry responds, “He ran across the road, too, so I sot him.”

Harry reaches in the bag throws down a medium sized red head parrot and a double yellow head  cockatoo. By this time, everyone is scared and said “Those are parrots!!!” We are on the Texas/Mexican Fly Zone!”

Lastly, Harry pulls out a Blue and Gold McCaw. Everyone is speechless. “Why would you shoot THAT bird?  Harry says “he was only 50 feet in the air and yelling You can’t catch me; you can’t catch me. So I shot him”

Harry and Robert break out laughing hysterically and the group finally figured out they had been fooled the whole time!

My Happiest Summer

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Written by John McElligott

I met Melinda at the A&W Root Beer out by the Fiesta Drive Inn Theater in the Summer of 1961. I was 15 years old and Melinda was 3yrs older than me. Melinda had just finished her freshman year at Texas Tech, and I was working as a life guard & manager at Half Park. I saw her driving around a wheelchair bound senior from MHS, who I saw every day at school but did not know her name. I said, “Hello”. I knew Melinda from Austin Junior High when I was in the 7th grade and Melinda was a Cheerleader in the 9th, and I was a big fan!

I never met Melinda face to face or talked to her before that night. I was out with Mike Murphy and other lifeguards from the pools in Midland. We were eating our burgers and drinking something, but not root beer. I spent the rest of the evening talking to Melinda and her companion. I was smitten with her at once, and spent the rest of the summer every day and evening as much as I could possibly arrange.

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