Teen Center - Headland, Alabama

Feb. 1958

The Dothan Eagle

Feb 1958

 Brenda (Skinner) Stroup's Memories

Hank and I talked about this today.  We can't remember the first movie we saw together.  In those days in Headland, a lot of "group" activities happened.  A group of us would go together to the movies and to Oscar's for a hotdog.   This was usually before we could drive.   We also went to Dothan after MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship) to cruise around and get a coke, etc.  Of course, Mark was not in that group.  I don't know who or how many kids were in BTU.  We had a very good group for MYF and a wonderful youth director.  Also had a youth counselor who had the coolest Thunderbird.  We would always go in his car.  There didn't seem to be much interaction between the Baptist and Methodist  youth groups on the weekends.

As for the Teen Center, I think it started when I was in about the 9th grade-1959 or so.  It was started by the parents and the teenagers.  The parents agreed to alternate chaperoning each Friday and Saturday night.  It was upstairs in the old city hall, that 2 story building by the library on the square.  The jail was on the first floor!  We were charged 10 cents to enter (we used to money to buy 45 records)  Chester Cunningham served as our DJ-he was a couple of years older than I.  Occasionally someone would have a birthday party and serve refreshments, etc.  This is also where we would have dances after football games.  As I think back on this experience, it was just the best.  Most of us loved to dance and it was a great place to meet friends, especially boys.  There were several really good dancers in the group and we all wanted to dance like them.  I cannot remember Mark ever coming to the Teen Center.  I have a  fuzzy memory of Major and Edith chaperoning one time early on.  I just cannot recall Mark being there.  He did not have serious girl friends during this time.  As I have told you before, he was into sports, livestock, etc.  I think that he would come to birthday parties or parties at someone's home, but he just didn't hang out at the Teen Center on weekends.  I don't have any pictures ot the Teen Center.  I think it was active about 3 years, then just sort of died.  

Hank said that maybe the Baptists were not that much into dancing.  I do remember other Baptist kids being there, it wasn't just the heathen Methodists.  Mark was fun and personable, but I just don't remember his participating in our shenanigans.  Linda Oates and I talked about this when we were in Headland for the reunion.  Mark walked the straight and narrow when he was in high school.  No wild oats sown during that time.