Formation of the Girls Drill Corps and a senior play with a Broadway script were the lead news stories in the March 1969 Panther Chatter
published by students at Russellville High School.
The drill corps had first appeared during a game with Hopkinsville and saluted the visitors by forming an H in addition to an R. “The girls looked very attractive in their dark shorts, white shirts and black and gold ties,” the unnamed writer said. “”They carried black
and gold shakers in each hand… they concluded the routine with a clever dance, and moved off the floor in a company front formation.” This was
obviously a Hazel Carver musical production.
Members of the Corps were Beverly Browder, Cathy Hatfield (Hendricks), Mary Jackson, Vicki Hankins, Georgianne Richardson (Mills), Betsy Denning
(Holmes), Debbie Lee (Gregory), Linda McCrary (Conlee), Vicki McMillen (Coleman), Mary English, Martha Weaver (Carter), Pam Howlett (Leach), Carolyn
Kees (Baker), Marilyn Kees (Wright), Julie Tinch, Patricia Crowder, Kay Kough, Carol Wheeler (Gaddie), Vickie Lowe (DeShazer), Garry Hollins, Julia
Perry (Reynolds), Gayle Baldwin (Mulberry), Pam Copeland (DiDominick), Gail Cropper (Guiling), Shelly Steele (Greene), Gwen Black (Harden), Julie
Guion (Steele), Sheila Todd, Sharon Blackwell, Shirley Pillow (Nylin) and Cathy Carver.
A cast of 30 presented the Broadway comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner as the senior play. Steve Tattitch played the lead role of
Sheridan Whiteside. Cast members included Carolyn Wilson (Mallory), Susan Neal (Clapp), David Bilyeu, Pat McCarty (Lichtenberg), Buddy Leach, Sherry
Mayfield (Epley), Kathy Flowers (Holman), Cathy Carver, Marvin Dennison, Marilyn Kay Lawrence (Jenkins). Jim Luckett, Janice Guion (Threlkeld), Mike
Burchett, Lloyd Chapman, Billy Warden, Bill George, Wayne Greer, Leonard Vick, Joe Smotherman, John Poindexter, Richard Friedel, Charlie Maxwell,
Lucianne Forcum (Ezell), Marion Fugate, Brad Watson, Jane Noe (Duncan), Pat Pepper (Boleware), Ricky Keeton, Johnny Cates, Barry Smock, Pam Copeland,
Charlotte Williams (Watkins), Connie Thomason, Carolyn Kees, Vicki McMillen, Judy Blankenship (Kirkland), Joan Anderson and June Poor (O'Leary). Jim
Turner was the first-year director.
Mr. and Miss RHS were seniors Buddy Leach and Susan Neal. Representing the classes were seniors Jim Dodson and Janice Guion, juniors Paul
Kerr and Therese Bonasso , sophomores John Bonasso and Mary Crit Threlkeld (Johnson), and freshmen Stewart Wheeler and Sharon Griffith (Stein).
Honors were announced. Carolyn Wilson received the DAR Good Citizenship Award, Karen Flowers was selected Betty Crocker Homemaker of the Year,
Ronnie Bell and Ronnie Yarbrough were all-county basketball, and Larry Brewer wrote the best Conservation essay. Top speech contestants were Lynn Noe
(Sahlin), Kenny Sadler, Kathy Oberhausen, Charlotte Williams, Beth McCutchen (Seibel), Pat McCarty, Cathy Carver, Marvin Dennison, Ernest Raymer, and
Lucianne Forcum.
In music, Cathy Carver represented Kentucky in the Southern Division of the Music Teachers National Association piano competition in Birmingham.
She was also the only piccolo player in All-State Band. All-District Band members in the older group were David Bilyeu, Jim Dodson, Marvin Dennison,
Lynn Dorlac (Foley), Carolyn Wilson and Bill Goodwin. The younger all-district band members were David Morgan, Murray Carnall, Steve Ashby, Johnny
Wheeler, Brad Waters and Danny Williams. A girls chorus included Jane Barton (Doehnert), Jane Dowden (Anthony), Martha Weaver, Sue Brewer (Herman),
Barbara Todd, Patti Vick (Layne), Therese Bonasso, Lynn Noe, Jeannie Hite, Shelly Steele and Shirley Pillow.
Academic honors were not as plentiful as they are now. Only five students in the entire school had All A's. They were seniors Janice Guion
and Susan Kerr (Halbert), junior Wayne Dempsey, and sophomores Scott Neil and Kaye Warren (Wilkins). Earning All A's and B's were seniors Cathy Carver,
Lili Henderson, Jim Luckett, Brenda Taylor (Hoots), Carolyn Wilson, Sharon Blackwell, Marvin Dennison, Judy Lennon, Steve Tattitch and Charlotte
Watkins; juniors Dan Owen, Carol Wheeler, Paul Cooper, Michael Long, Jane Dowden, Jim Trice and David Vick; sophomores Mary Ann Emberger (Thompson),
Gail Cropper, Charlotte Beattie, and Patty Edwards; and freshmen Lee Ann Carnall (Austin), Ernest Raymer and Guenter Wadewitz.
Opinion pieces were plentiful. Writers of those were Pam Howlett, David Bilyeu, Lili Henderson, Lynn Noe, Susan Neal, Lloyd Chapman, and Gary
White.
Among those making gossip section were Pam Hunter (Holdcraft), Janie Sanders (Gregory), Billy Currence, Judy Lennon, LaFrieda Glenn
(Shelton), Kenneth Utley, Frank Tinch, Chet Ward, J.D. Bayles, Gary Arnold and Johnny Devasier. Highlights of the “Can You Imagine” section: Buster
Crenshaw jumping center for a basketball team, Kenneth Utley as president of the National Honor Society, Billy Jayne staying out of trouble for a week,
John Hite with a peachy fuzzy complexion, Lucianne Forcum staying home for a weekend, and Mike Russell as a Cassanova. Faculty members mentioned in
this section were Eleanor Piper, Katherine Jennings, John McCarley, Ron Beckham and JoAnn Flowers.
Commenting on “What Attracts You First” in the opposite gender were Cathy Clark (Werner), Angie Longhofer, Dexter Owens, Tom Threlkeld, Tom Riffle,
Bill Costello, Toby Nichols, Danny Hall, Virgil Marshall, Ronnie Violett, Rickie Matar, Paul Cooper, Pam Hunter, Gwen Black, Pam Howlett, Patti Vick,
Carol Wheeler, Shelly Steele, David Vick, Scott Neil, Bill Goodwin and Paul Cooper.
Denny Doyle was coaching the basketball team; there were no girls basketball teams at the time, but Mary Ann Steele was named girls track coach.
Larry Reeder was baseball coach, assisted by Beckham. Other faculty members throughout the system named included Buddy Linton, Stumpy Baker, Helen
Raby, Ruby Fuqua, John Paul Adler and Janet Wells. Student teachers were Dennis Pimmentel under Coach Baker and Marie Turner, Edward Roddy and William
Pappas under Bob Armstrong, and Myra Bucy and Connie Major under Martha Raymer.
The
Panther Chatter
was written by senior and junior English students. Larry Reeder was the advisor, Susan Neal and Therese Bonasso co-editors and Ernest Raymer
photographer.