What! No mention of Dr. Talley, the English teacher who had a reputation as someone not to mess with? I finally had him for my college-prep composition class.

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."
Romans 12:18

Had him for a film history class. Weird bird, but oddly likeable.
Richard

Dr. Talley was a first class eccentric in the truest sense of the word. I had him for film history and a few other courses.

I somehow managed to stay off Talley's shit list.

I remember walking out of the front doors of the school and seeing Dr. Talley driving around in the parking lot in Yasi McGinley's new red Pontiac Firebird. She'd left it running and had gone into the school, and Talley just jumped in and took it for a spin! Ha!

Also remember going out to breakfast with Talley's class a lot.

Right before Christmas break of my senior year - literally in the last few seconds before Talley's class was out, he stopped everyone and announced, "Oh, by the way, your homework assignment over the break is to read the entire Bible. We'll have a test on it the first day you return in January."

Some people thought he might have been joking, but when we got back there was a massive test on the Bible.

I also ran into Dr. Talley on several occasions after high school at parties. The man was a hoot!

Anyone know where Talley is these days?

Dr. Talley is still in Tulsa. He can be found at All Souls Unitarian Church on Sundays or occasionally at the flea market on a Saturday morning -- mowing down the children of his former students.

"Now for all of those that were talking during the film, lay your heads on your desks and reach over to the person closest to you and pull their hair as hard as you can"

Film projector stopped working and that pissed him off, so he dragged the poor thing down the stairs by its cord to the equipment room to be fixed. Thank goodness it died, we were watching reel 2 of D.W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation"
You had to get into watching that film, nothing better to do, it was a 3 reel (large ones) silent film! Deliver me!!!!

Thanks for the laughs Jerry, and he can be found living in a house across the street from the house I grew up in, used to be our neighbor until I moved out.

I believe we must have been in the same class that year cause I remember it too, the bulb blew out in that projector and he got so pissed of when his "token projector boy" (got an "A" in film history for running the projector, no final or anything!) said something, Talley threw the burned out bulb across the room and it smashed violently on the wall next to TPB's head!!
He also had a thing about the intercomm speaker that he poked it out at the beginning of each year with his pointer!
Then, there was the time that student council was having a pumpkin decorating contest and they kept bringing him pumpkins, which he quickly dispatched out the second story (English wing) window! They stayed there for days rotting! I have LOTS more Talley Tales if anyone wants.
He still makes me laugh after 25 years.

We have hear these tales for years and I never knew if they were true or not. (Though I did pass them on as fact.
By the time they reached me, He had thrown the projector out the window.

He is something isn't he.

Dan, you were all the time on his list. You and Blake Jessup. Where is Blake anyway?

I adored, and still adore, Dr. Talley.

I got in good with him from my first day of class by having a mutual friend. Loved, and still love, that crazy, eccentric man.

Socks with sandals? Not a problem.

Dr. Talley was the only teacher that understood me. I was probably one of the worst students at BTW and I am not proud of it. A bit of a goof who liked to have fun yet very explosive when pushed. I had Dr. Talley for homeroom and decided to take his Film History class. He was the greatest. We would talk for hours about film, especially Birth Of A Nation and Citizen Kane.

It is true, he disliked malfunctioning projectors and proved his point by losing his mind and tossing them without hesitation.

He challenged me when I tried to BS my way out of situations and he steered me to Philosophy even though I didn't realize it until later in life.

Anyone remember when he got stabbed in the parking lot at BTW? Someone tried to rob him and I am sure he had a few choice words for the assailant. One teacher who will remain nameless announced in class the day it happened that he probably asked for it because of his attitude.

I am sure the assailant got more than just Dr. Talley's money. Even if it came in the form of an expletive.

Wes Doughty

I love Dr. Talley, he was such a great teacher.

[This message was edited by pam on Fri January 16 2004 at 01:35 PM.]

I never had Dr. Talley but had enough friends that did so he knew who I was and would scream at me any time he saw me in the hall. He must have known i was shy. In any event he thought it was hilarious! The story about him I had always heard (in 1989) was that he had infact thrown the projector out the window. Needless to say I was more than a little scared of him at the time. Continued to run into him after graduation all around town and he continued to yell at me, but at least it was funny since I wasn't in school anymore

Anytime I am in town I am still just a little worried about running into Talley somewhere.

I don't recall "who" the comment was directed at, but I remember Heather and Jocelyn in Dr. Talley's class. He would always refer to the "Bleached Blonde Slut" (a student mind you!). Who was she?

Just discovered this site. very cool. I'm getting a heart ache just reading these posts.

I seem to remember Dr. Tally also had a dead squirrel in a box up in the ceiling of his room for a while.

By the way Jeri how the hell can I get in touch with your brother Mark. I haven't heard from him since his house burned. I'd love to hear from him again.
Hope you are well.

Shawn

I saw Dr. Talley at High Jenks Revisited he looked great and still works part time at The Hive

I had Dr. Talley for AP college comp and film history. James West talked me into signing up for him then bailed on me but I went the distance. I kept my head down in there and escaped a lot the BS but I will say that he taught me excellent writing skills which I used extensively throughout college (all 18 yrs). He was different but when you're as smart as he is you can be crazy and call it eccentric. Godspeed Dr. Talley, where ever you are.

David, didn't you kill one of Dr. Talley's black window shades?

Shawn Offineer, (great class of 82)
Hey Shawn,
Sorry, I'm not well versed enough to email you directly! Mark Whitney, if I try to get him, can be found at beorhtlic@hotmail.com, sometimes I have to email Beth just to get Mark mail!!!!! Forget telephones! They are out in Catoosa, email me if necessary at fourmanns@copper.net and I can snail mail him! Jeri (Whitney-Mann)

Hey Jeri,
Thanks for the info. Im curious to see how there doing. That is if he answers his mail

Shawn

I had Talley in '79 for College Prep--I think there were only FOUR students in the class b/c everyone was so FRIGHTENED of him by then! I wouldn't have been there myself, but I think it was Ms. Ungerman who told me I was "too advanced" for her Paragraph Writing class and "kicked me upstairs" to College Prep. I DO remember that I made Talley PROMISE NOT TO THROW ANYTHING AT ME or I wouldn't transfer into his class! He laughed, but he DID promise! (And he never broke the promise!) I'm certain all the wacky stories are true--my personal favorite was when he called Harrison (Wright?) "the village idiot" for laughing at one of his jokes! :-)

(Incidentally, I made an "A" in his class, but I think it was only b/c I did my research paper on the topic of INCEST--figured he was offbeat enough to think it was a cool topic. Guess he did! haha)

Connie (Lewis) Grace
Class of '79

Does anyone remember when Benny Bankston would come over the intercom and throw him into a tirade?