Melba Jean Boggs Arinder

This obituary from the Shreveport Times is for classmate Melba Jean Boggs Arinder. Please keep her family in your prayers.

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Melba Arinder
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Haughton, LA - Celebration of life service for Melba Jean Boggs Arinder will be held at Stockwell Road Missionary Baptist Church (SRMBC) on Friday, December 30, 2011 at 1:00pm. Pastor Jason Hebert and former pastor, Joseph Pemberton will be officiating the service. Visitation will be held at Stockwell Road Missionary Baptist Church on Thursday, December 29, 2011 from 6:00pm until 9:00pm. Interment will be at Hill Crest Memorial Park, Haughton, LA.

She was a member of Stockwell Road Missionary Baptist Church. Her most talented hobby was loving on her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  

She was preceded in death by parents: Johnnie L. Boggs and Ada M. Ashlock Boggs; and daughter-in law Deborah D. Price Arinder.

She is survived by her husband: William Aubra Arinder; four children: Tammi Stocks, Randy Arinder, Malissa Stewart, and Kevin Arinder; step daughter Angie Courtney; thirteen grandchildren, two step granddaughters, five great grandchildren; six sisters and two brothers; numerous nephews and nieces.

Pallbearers will be her grandsons.

Memorials may be made to SRMBC Ladies Auxiliary.

Words of comfort may be shared with the family by visiting www.hillcrestmemorialfh.com.

Addendum 1: 12/31/2011:

Classmate Mickey Phillips has learned that Melba died in an automobile crash on Christmas Day. Here is the Times story that Mickey saw.

Second person dies after Christmas crash

A second person has died from injuries suffered in a two-car crash Christmas Day, the Caddo sheriff’s office says.

Glenda Cornell, 66, of Bossier City, died Friday, five days after the crash that claimed the life of Melba Arinder, 68, of Haughton, driver of the 2006 Nissan Altima in which Cornell was a passenger.

The head-on crash occurred at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday at North Lakeshore Drive and R. C. Thompson Road.

Arinder's vehicle collided with a 2003 Mercedes Benz S500 driven by Jared Sheppard, 17, of Shreveport, according to deputies.

Also in the Nissan with Arinder and Cornell was William Arinder of Haughton.

Collier Mickle II, 21, and Chris Mickle, 20, both of Shreveport were in the Mercedes. All were taken to area hospitals.

The investigation is ongoing. No citations have been issued.

Addendum 2:  01/06/2012:

Mickey Phillips has learned that Glenda Cornell was Melba’s younger sister. Based on her age she may have been in the Fair Park Class of 1963. No information has been found showing when and where she was buried.

Addendum 3: 01/06/2012:

An archive service used by the Shreveport Times shows that Melba’s husband William Aubra Arinder passed away on 01/04/2012. So far no other information has been found on his death. His funeral service is scheduled for 01/07/2012 at the same Church where Melba’s service was conducted. He will be buried at Hill Crest Memorial Park, Haughton, LA, presumably next to Melba.

Addendum 4: 01/06/2012:

Third victim dies from injuries in Christmas Day wreck

Posted: Jan 05, 2012 10:48 AM CST Updated: Jan 05, 2012 11:35 AM CST

By Carolyn Roy - bio | email

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA)

A third victim has died from injuries suffered in a head-on collision on Christmas Day in Caddo Parish.

LSU Health confirms 71-year-old William Arinder passed away Wednesday evening as a result of the wreck on Sunday afternoon at North Lakeshore Drive and R. C. Thompson Road.  

Arinder was a passenger in a 2006 Nissan Altima that collided with a 2003 Mercedes Benz S500.  His wife, 68-year-old Melba Arinder, died at the scene. A second passenger, 66-year-old Glenda Cornell of Bossier City, was also critically injured. Cornell passed away on December 30^th.

Three occupants in the Mercedes were also taken to LSU Health: 17-year-old Jared Sheppard, 21-year-old Collier Mickle II, and 20-year-old Chris Mickle, all of Shreveport.  All three have since been released from the hospital.

No citations have been issued pending the findings of the crash investigation. 

Copyright 2012 KSLA. All rights reserved.

Betty Carter Stokeld

Classmate Betty Carter Stokeld has experienced health problems for several years now and her battle may be about over. Several classmates have let me know that she is hospitalized and that all life support systems have now been removed. Please keep Betty, her husband Jack, and their children and families in your prayers. If there are updates I will add them to this article.

Update provided by Marilyn Perry Fain @ 4:35pm - 12-27-2011

Betty died early this morning.  Visitation will be Thursday evening & again on Friday morning from 9-service time at 11a.m.  I'll talk to Jack again tomorrow & get the specifics tightened up.  He was so tired when we talked that I hated to force him to give me addresses, etc.  He and Betty's daughter were at the funeral home making decisions & then headed home to (hopefully) sleep.

Update: Rabenhorst Funeral Home – 12-28-2011

Elizabeth "Betty" Carter Stokeld
Date of death:
December 27, 2011

Visitation:
Thursday, December 29, 2011
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Rabenhorst Downtown, 825 Government St.
Religious Service:
Friday, December 30, 2011
Visitation at First Baptist Church
529 Convention Street, Baton Rouge
9:00 AM until service at 11:00 AM
Burial:
Resthaven Gardens of Memory

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Elizabeth Ellen Carter "Betty" Stokeld 

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Elizabeth Ellen "Betty" Carter Stokeld died Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011, at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. The daughter of Ed F. and Sue R. Carter, she was born June 28, 1943, in Shreveport. She was married to Jack H. Stokeld on Aug. 12, 1967. To this union was born Marc Carter Stokeld and Jill Elizabeth Stokeld. Betty was a graduate of Fair Park High School, Shreveport, Louisiana College, Pineville, and LSU. She was president of the student body at both Fair Park High School and Louisiana College. As an educator, she had a tenure of 28 years in public education. She taught high school for 16 years and also served as a prevention specialist in the I Care program of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system. Betty was the first female to serve on the Louisiana College Board of Trustees. She was a Distinguished Alumnus of Louisiana College and recently was made an emeritus member of the I Care Advisory Board. She was an active member of First Baptist Church, Baton Rouge. Betty Stokeld is survived by her husband, Jack Stokeld; son, Marc Stokeld; daughter, Jill Stokeld; brother, Dr. James E. Carter and family, Natchitoches; and sister, Mrs. Peggy Carter Underwood and her family, West Monroe. Visitation at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government St., on Thursday, Dec. 29, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitation at First Baptist Church on Friday, Dec. 30, from 9 a.m. until services at 11 a.m., conducted by the Rev. Jerry Ratcliff and Monsignor Robert Berggreen. Interment in Resthaven Gardens of Memory. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.

A Christmas Of My Childhood

This Christmas story helped me remember what it was like to be a young child anticipating Christmas Day. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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VICKERS/A Christmas of my childhood
By OVID VICKERS

There were signs of the approaching Christmas season. At school, teachers began filling bulletin boards with pictures of deer standing in snow-covered forests or of three men on camels riding under a star.

Letters to Santa appeared in the newspapers, and children turned down pages in the toy section of the Sears and Roebuck catalog. On the second Saturday in December, when Mama made the grocery list, she added the extra items needed to bake a fruitcake. Raisins, currants, dried figs, and a bag of almonds were on the list along with candied cherries, pineapple, citron and orange peel.

About ten days before Christmas, we sat up late one night and picked out a cup of black walnuts and about a quart of pecans. Cake-baking day would be tomorrow!

After breakfast, Mama got out two small dish pans, one for mixing and one for baking. Into the mixing pan went eggs, flour, sugar and milk. Then it was time to add the fruit, nuts and raisins. The dried figs, shipped from some exotic city like Baghdad or Beirut, were added along with a cup of slow flowing, deep brown molasses.

The baking pan, a dishpan lined with greased brown paper, was now filled with cake batter. After what seemed half a day, Mama removed the cake from the Home Comfort oven and inserted broom straws in the center to test the cake's doneness. When no dough stuck to the straws, the cake was lifted from the oven, left to cool, and stored in a wooden cheese box to "mellow." If time didn't mellow the cake, the blackberry wine Mama poured over it certainly did.

On Christmas Day, we cut the cake. This cake was not only a delight to eat; it was a pleasure to contemplate. The bits of candied fruit in the slices showed like red, yellow and green gemstones; and as the slices were cut, the odor of spices filled the air.

After the fruit cake, jam cake, and coconut cake had been baked, it was time to find and cut a Christmas tree. Papa hitched up the wagon, and Mama, Sister, and I rode over to Mr. Holman Hemphill's place. Mr. Hemphill had some pretty cedar trees, and Papa had made arrangements for us to cut one. Our Christmas tree, in years before, had been pine, and this would be our first cedar.

When we went through a wooded area, Mama stopped the wagon and cut some branches from a holly tree. I threw a stick up into an old oak tree, and Sister gathered an armful of mistletoe as it fell to the ground. After we had loaded the tree, beautifully shaped and deep green, we visited for a spell with Mrs. Hemphill, warmed by her fire, and started home.

By the time we reached the bridge which spanned a creek in the woods, the sun was low and little pencils of brightness filtered through the cypress branches to glisten on the dark water beneath the bridge. Some birds flew over, and a chill wind rattled the dry leaves blowing across the road. I pulled by knitted cap down over my ears, thrust my hands deeper into my pockets and tried to ignore the cold. There was much to anticipate. Mama had told us we could decorate the tree after supper.

When the supper dishes were washed and put away, down came the box of decorations from high on a closest shelf. There were some decorations we had used for as long as I could remember, but they were still wondrous things to behold. A long string of silver beads and shining ornaments in the shape of birds, bugles, stars and snowflakes,, collected over many years, were unwrapped and hung on the tree with great care. Homemade decorations, including ropes of strung popcorn, garlands made from multi-colored construction paper, and sycamore balls covered with silver paper from inside Lucky Strike cigarette packs, joined the purchased ornaments to make our tree a really special one.

When the white cardboard star was placed on top of the tree, we put extra lightwood splinters on the fire, and with great satisfaction, sat and admired our decorated tree. Against the plain unpainted pine wall of the "front room," the tree was a jewel, each ornament catching and reflecting the blue and red flames of the firelight.

When a few more Christmases had passed, I would grow up, go away to school, and begin attending Christmas festivities in a fraternity house, in the homes of friends and finally with my own children.

Christmas still is my favorite season. Regardless of where I am or what I am doing, when the town strings the first rope of colored lights across the streets, when the postman delivers the first Yuletide greeting and when the first notes of "Away in A Manger" are sung, a key turns to unlock that secret corner of my mind where I keep stored forever the memories of that Christmas when I was ten years old.

Note From Ronnie Middleton

You may have heard that the Philippines had more bad storms recently. Helen Lindsey Rigg checked with Ronnie Middleton to see if he was okay. Ronnie sent Helen the following note.

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Hi Helen,
Thanks very much for the concern and contact. We are all fine as all the storm passed over 500 miles south of us. This area gets hit almost every year. Thanks again and keep in touch.
Ronnie

James Burton News Article

Mickey Phillips provided a link to a Shreveport Times article titled - Burton among Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists. As you may know James Burton is married to classmate Louise Abbott. The article is presented below.

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Burton among Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists

Rock guitar legend James Burton is listed among the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in the Dec. 8 issue of Rolling Stone magazine.

"This is like receiving an Academy Award or Oscar or Grammy. This is huge," said Burton's wife, Louise.

Burton is No. 19 in the magazine. Others listed include Eric Clapton (2), Carlos Santana (20), Keith Richards (4), B.B. King (6), Chuck Berry (7), Eddie Van Halen (8), George Harrison (11), Buddy Guy (23) and Jimi Hendrix (1).

"Jimi and I played together at Capitol Records back in the '60s," Burton said. "This means an awful lot to me because being one of the greatest guitar players in the world is fantastic. It's an honor."

"It really shocked us. We didn't even know," Louise Burton said. "Somebody called and told us."

An excerpt from the magazine states: "James Burton's trademark 'chicken pickin' ' style — bright, crisp and concise — is one of the most unique sounds in country music and a huge influence on rock guitar, as well."

"I love music, and I think this (magazine) is very good for the world because it gives people that don't really know who's who and what's what a little information on ... who's working now, who's not working and what's going on today," Burton said. "I'm probably busier now than I was when I was 13."

Burton said he has been blessed with an incredible musicianship. Burton's career got off to an early start, and at 14 years old, he recorded "Susie Q" with rockabilly legend Dale Hawkins. Burton wrote the music and Hawkins wrote the lyrics.

Burton's honors include seven Country Music Awards, 2009 Grammy Award with Brad Paisley, Louisiana Legend Award, 2010 Guitar Player Magazine Legend of the Year Award and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 by longtime fan Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.

"The good Lord opened up a lot of great doors and is still doing it," he said. "He truly blessed me in my career and my life."

Jackie “Johnny” Jones – 10/28/1941 – 12/02/2011

Linda Terry told me she received a phone call earlier today from Jackie’s Mom letting her know that Jackie passed away in the hospital about 2:00am today (12/02/2011). Private services will be held next week with burial in the Greenwood Cemetery.

In accordance with Jackie’s wishes no obituary will be published. If you wish to send condolences to Jackie’s Mom I can provide her mailing address.

Improved Video Of Senior Class Photos

During the summer of 2011 Google announced they had purchased a company with specialized software to make videos look their best. At that time I ran our class yearbook video in the new software and it did seem to make the Senior Class photos look sharper and the contrast levels were better. However, the video soon returned to its original look and I had no info on whether the process succeeded or failed. It now looks like the process succeeded.  A couple of days ago I noticed the pictures were again looking sharper and the contrast was much improved. Hopefully, this time the process is in place permanently.