Class of 1962 Archives

Benita Albert recently reminded me that she had asked me to write something for the

book, “Celebrating 75 years Oak Ridge Schools 1944-2018” about my personal involvement

with sports and athletics in Oak Ridge. I then realized that when a teacher (even retired!) asks

you to do something, she is serious, so following are my reminiscences.

My earliest recollection of sports in Oak Ridge was attending Oak Ridge High School

football games at Blankenship Field with my father, beginning in 1955. The most memorable

game was against Chattanooga City and a brawl broke out at the end of the game. Oak Ridge

won, 16-0. Listening to football and basketball broadcasts on radio station WATO was also very

enjoyable as I was growing up in Woodland.

I remember enjoying all the sports as the seasons rolled around and playing sandlot

football, basketball, softball and especially baseball. My 6th grade teacher even wrote on my

report card, “too much interest in sports.” At Robertsville Junior High School, I was a member

of the basketball team from 6th grade through 9th grade, never a star, not even a first teamer, but I

always enjoyed the aspect of team play, the competition, the practice sessions and representing

our school.

As a sophomore at Oak Ridge High School, I played “B” team basketball for Coach Ira

Green and made the varsity baseball team, coached by Gene Moody. I owe a huge debt of

gratitude to both coaches for perhaps a very unusual reason, as I will explain later. I played one

inning of one baseball game that sophomore season and thought, “there is no future in this.” As

a Junior I was the last guy cut on the varsity basketball team, only one week before the first game

of the season. The Wildcats went on to win their first State basketball championship that season.

For me, that was an early lesson in dealing with adversity, making the most of a difficult

situation and staying positive. The reason I owe those two coaches a debt of gratitude: I had

long wanted to play a varsity sport at ORHS---football was out, basketball and baseball didn’t

work out and I couldn’t play tennis, so that left one sport—track and field. Knowing I had some

natural stamina, I went out for track in the early spring of 1961, my Junior year. Turned out to

be a good decision. I was fortunate to be a member of State track championship teams in 1961

and 1962 (the last time ORHS won a boy’s state track championship.) In 1962 I was a member

of a 2-mile relay team that won 1st place at the state meet and set a new state record. Hank Cole

and I served as co-captains of that 1962 team, a very special honor. Coach Ben Martin helped

me get a full four-year track scholarship to the college of my choice, The University of Alabama,

where I competed in track and cross-country all four years.

Through those formative years in Oak Ridge schools, I learned the value of persistence

and perseverance and dealing with adversity. The old adage, “90% of success is just showing

up”, has always meant a lot to me, not just in school but later in my business career, as well.

Jack Bailey, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Growing up in Oak Ridge in the 1950s was an experience. Oak Ridge was a small

community, but one in which the vibrant inclusion of both arts and sciences was at our disposal.

We were far from being a provincial, one-horse town. I always felt safe walking around town or

playing outdoors after dark. My memories include canvassing neighborhoods attempting to sell

junior keys, the ORHS class election ads painted on all the windows in the hallway to the

cafeteria, making a huge bonfire in the street in front of the school when our basketball team won

the state championship, cheering on the state championship football team, and attending the

annual Latin Club banquet.

Nancy Swain, my Spanish teacher for three years, was one of my favorite teachers. I

found her to be not only a wonderful instructor, but also a fascinating human being who regaled

us with stories of her travels and her life. She genuinely cared for her students and always treated

us with respect. Another favorite was Martha Moore who taught journalism and was also our

facilitator when we published the school paper The Oak Leaf every week. She encouraged us in

creative writing and taught us how a newspaper went from typewriter to final edition. Being a

Secret City kid was like belonging to a club where everyone encountered was a member. I feel

blessed to have grown up in Oak Ridge.

*Tacie (Metter) Overbeck, Hixon, Tennessee

*Tacie was inadvertently printed as Stacie in the book.

The APPLESAUCE LEAGUE and the APPLESAUCE REGATTA

The Melton Hill Lake rowing venue along Melton Hill Drive in Oak Ridge has become a favorite course for regional and national regattas since its beginning in the late1970s. The true origin of rowing in this area, however, dates back to April of 1962 and the First Annual Applesauce Regatta held on what was then the Clinch River along River Road (now known as Melton Lake Drive). The Applesauce Regatta was a venture of the Applesauce League.

The Applesauce League formed at Oak Ridge High School in the early 1960s as an unofficial, loosely organized group of students for the purpose of … good question. The League was open to anyone admitting being associated with it (which was very few at first). It had a chance beginning in Coach Bordinger’s boys gym class when coach had the class fall in line alphabetically and count off, 1-2-3-4. First-in-line David Alspaugh shouted out “1”, and so it went to randomly select four teams for some sport, perhaps softball. After the count-off, Bordinger instructed all the number 1s to go with “Applesauce”, understandably avoiding an attempt at pronouncing the name “Alspaugh”. Hence, the first Applesauce Team was

formed and the name “Applesauce” stuck on Alspaugh for the remainder of his high school days and to some extent beyond.

The Applesauce “Team” somehow morphed into the Applesauce “League”. Maybe it was because the high school girls had sorority groups and activities, it’s unclear why, but some of these guys decided to join together with like-minded pinheads to plan different kinds of activities. The A-League had no formal organization – no president or secretary and certainly no treasurer. They did, however, have some imagination and creativity and a few ideas--some good, some so-so. One, for instance, was the Applesauce League Toilet Bowl tackle football game on Blankenship Field in 10-inches of snow with everyone heavily bundled up so there was no risk of injury (or damage to the field). They staged an Applesauce Track Meet and similar other sporting events. The League held their one-and-only Annual Winter Formal on New Year’s Eve at the homes of Hank Cole and Tucker Arnold.

Their crowning event, however, was the Applesauce Regatta.

On a beautiful spring day in 1962, splendid watercraft put in under the L&N Truss Bridge near Elza Gate and “raced” to the Solway Bridge. The current on the Clinch was about 8 miles an hour but somehow most of the boats went slower. Craft and oarsmen were pelted along the way with eggs and cans of (what else) applesauce, especially while crossing under the old Edgemoor Bridge. All participants, however, survived and most navigated the entire course.

Specifications for building these vessels and participating were very strict as evidenced by the guidelines (below) submitted in a letter to participants of the upcoming Second Annual Applesauce Regatta (and published in the Oak Ridger newspaper).

BUILDING THE APPLESAUCE REGATTA YACHTBasic Steps

1. Get a couple or three inner tubes.2. Build framework – ladder, A-frame, washtub, picket fence, ironing

board, etc.3. Attach inner tubes to frame. (Tying was used in most cases despite

attempts by Jimmy Blanco to nail his tubes on.)4. Pump up tubes and try ‘er out. The traditional method is to launch from

the L&N Bridge (see L&N Station for schedule, lest launching of craft and freight crossing bridge coincide).

5. Should the craft float, pull it out and install seats. If crew doesn’t fit seats, alter crew.

6. Decorate yacht – this is where your craft gains personality. You will need:

Paint -- florescent red, canary yellow, pea green, crude grey, Muldoon lavender

Paddles and Rudders -- brooms, 2x4s, pole vault poles – if going Mike Fink style

Name – “Francis X Tishman,” “No John,” “Bad Banana,” “Hon. Ross Barnett,” “Bad News,” “Baby Huey,” “AppleCrap 7,” “Busch Bavarian Special”

Chairs -- JFK rocker, Class of ’61 marble bench, barstools

Optional -- Babes, sun-tan oil, umbrellas, garbage can lids (to fend off eggs), egg shooters, flingers and slingers (e.g. bicycle tubes) – don’t just sit there – Fight Back!!!

7. Provisions: one gross U.S. Grade A Large Eggs – these ain’t to eat, fifteen moon pies per crew member, RC Cola (one case per crew member), pizza mix, Blue Circle hamburgers (optional)

The letter was allegedly signed by David Alspaugh, Bill Somers, Howard Hay, Willy Welton, Mike Craft, Ronnie Graham, Larry Thirloway, Anne Murray, and Tucker Arnold.

The First Annual Applesauce Regatta was won by the “Francis X Tishman” vessel with St. George Tucker Arnold II and Ronnie “Frog” Graham aboard. owever an official protest was filed - which has yet to be settled - claiming the Francis X used illegal oars (see evidence in picture below, front left). But, as they say, a grand time was had by all.

Start of the First Annual Applesauce Regatta under the L&N Truss Bridge

The Applesauce Regatta was held for at least 2 years, maybe more. The 1963 completion of Melton Hill Dam and Lake, however, drastically slowed the river current and made rowing more challenging.

The Applesauce League and its regatta have been the subject of a number of articles and letters in the Oak Ridger, mostly in the 1960s. The above description is based on my recollections and some of those articles. Other surviving A-Leaguers likely have different recollections.

David Alspaugh aka “Applesauce”, ORHS Class of ‘62

The Apple-Crap7 Passing Under Edgemoor Bridge (note egg missile)

Several Vessels Cuising the Clinch