The following statement was released by Dan Smith:
While I can neither confirm nor deny that I was involved in the painting of the water tower adjacent to Charles Henderson High School, I will thank you for this opportunity to hopefully provide some insight into the atrocities of that cool Spring evening of 1977, with temperatures in the low to bid 60's, winds light and variable, barometric pressure at about 30.85 and steady, with visibility being reported as unlimited at the Troy Regional Airport, while at the same time clearing my good name and character of said deed.
All of us Seniors of 1977 held that pristine, battle-ship gray water tower without blemish in the highest of regard, and would have never dreamed of two young men climbing that spire, as one young man had a wire metal handle of a half-gallon of red paint clinched between his teeth as he climbed, while the other held tightly to a mop as the ascent began.
As anyone with the Class of 1977 will tell you, I was an aspiring writer of a comic strip in The Trojan Myths, with the main character being Moe Noodleman.
Moe had quite the following, and as Herman Gunter is my witness, Moe even came in second place in SGA voting that year, as a write-in candidate.
So it stands to reason that someone would climb that tower, paint Moe '77 in red letters, and blame immediately be cast in the direction not only of myself, but my innocent friends Larry Grant and Randy Pemberton.
Anyone that knew Randy, Larry and myself back in those days, knows that we were likely at the library, studying as we always were, for the sake of our love and respect for that gem atop a hill.
To this day, Randy, Larry and I continue our search for the "Real Painters."
… I hope this clears up many of the false accusations I have had to endure over the last 47 years. - Dan Smith.
UPDATE (5:40 p.m): I added another photo showing the bottom of the water tower in 1987. This was key evidence for Troy Police Department detectives assigned to the case.
As I’ve mentioned before, my grand-father’s entire family is from Jacksonville, and I’m rather versed in Troy. I love your style of regional journalism. It turns out that our culture is both reflected and preserved in our media. God bless the Rices.
My Rices are from Erwin, TN. My family there is the Goreys. There is an author at the university of Alabama who has written about Jacksonville, and I’ve reached out to him.
Chris Amos insists that we wrote something else, but as far as I know, we were the only one's in '88 that climber the water tower. We didn't stay up there long enough to write anything really long. I was more scared of getting caught than climbing the tower, lol. Only other thing I can remember doing bad was stealing a candy bar at Super X when I was 7, and boy did Amy Stewart whoop that tail when we got home. 😅
To set the record strait, I had just gotten out of the hospital for lung surgery in 1988. It was the summer before my senior year, and I had a renewed sense of adventure, so I called up my best friend Chris Amos. I don't know who came up with the idea, but before I knew it, I was halfway up the ladder of the water tower, next door to the Troy Campus Police with a can of spray paint, with Chris Amos behind me. I don't remember much about that day, but I do remember running across the band practice field and the woods in the dark, and trying to catch my breath.......
P.S. We left our mark on the tower with the note 'BAD 88'
I loved this story. It has a bit of Robert McCammon, a tad of Stephen King, a soupçon of JD Vance and even a dash of S E Hinton. Hats off to the Water Tower Wunderkind!
May I tell you mine? We had a drive thru convenience store called “The Dairy” in our small town. The owner had a cartoonish, fiberglass cow out in front of the store. It was in a prancing posture with one front hoof raised, and her tail arched gaily over her back. Our junior year one of us noticed that cow was secured with only a few bolts to plates under her three remaining hooves. As it turned out it was simple to undo those nuts, lift the 200-pound cow off her mooring (we were all wrestlers and could bench 250+) and escape with the kidnapping victim in the back of a ‘58 GMC pickup.
What we hadn’t thought through was the fact that the owner was a retired Sheriff’s Deputy who never had been known to have a sense of humor, and the cow had cost him over $600 to install. This made it grand theft, which quickly became felony extortion when we foolishly demanded a ransom for the cow’s safe return.
We stored the purloined bovine in a garage, blindfolded her eyes, put a cigarette between her lips and held a shotgun to her head. We made a cardboard sign, “$1000 or the cow gets it!” And sent the polaroid to the owner. That was when the story made the paper, and the paper mentioned “felonies”.
We obtained travel posters from the local travel company “for the school library” and shot polaroids with the posters as background. We put the cow in the pickup with a tarp over her, drive her to the playground and shot polaroids of her on pieces of equipment. We milked this project (pun intended) for about two weeks. The paper updated the story as it progressed.
All the pictures, of course went to the owner. Being a retired cop, he knew the day it happened who had done it. He also knew that we meant no harm and would not damage the cow. Eventually on a slow Sunday all three of the area’s deputies were out north of town and the owner was in church, so we scurried back to the dairy, bolted down the cow and scattered.
The local paper expressed the relief of the entire town that the talisman had been returned without incident. The owner promised not to press charges. The guilty parties breathed a sigh of relief.
I think you should clarify that our class nickname was Heroes of ‘83 and deviated from what was painted on the water tower. It could be very confusing in 100 years when someone finds our banner and tries to match it to your article. 😉
You just did. But for the record, the CHHS Class of '83 was also known as the "Heroes." I still like Sasquatian Dogs, though. The person who came up with that silly monicker (Mike Tedder) is still my hero!
UPDATE (Nov. 7, 2024): I now have an excellent source who can confirm the three "Clowns" who painted the tower in 1980. Here's a written account from a source I will not name, but he names himself in a "confession" recently posted on Facebook:
"I have always admired the fine work done by the Clowns of 80. For clarity regarding our story Tim Archer, Mark Dailey and myself were tapped to make our mark. Half way up the tower Dailey freeze’s up, can’t move! So Archer and I have to tote all stuff up there ourselves including Dailey. We had carefully planned our mission. We wanted our name high on the tank above everyone else so we had a pole with a mop head tapped to an extension pole and a gallon of paint. So Archer and I completed the mission. We had to threaten Dailey that we were going to leave him up there (and we would have) if he didn’t come down with us. So now you know."
UPDATE/CORRECTION: The name that was painted on the water tower for 1981 is "Shades '81." The class nickname is/was "Champs '81." Thanks to Ken Williams for sending me a Trojan Myths story and photo, confirming this. Ken sent me a FB message that includes a copy of a story that ran in The Trojan Myths, a first-person account of one of the artists.
The story (submitted by "T-Bob") includes a photo of about eight class members who must have been part of the "Shades" posse. (Presumably to protect their identities, all students are wearing shades in the photo.) The Class of '81 was/is also known as "The Champs," since CHHS won a state championship in football in the 1980 football season - still, the only state football championship for the school.
I'm still not sure how many "Shades'" members actually painted the water tower (perhaps just two?).
I'm trying to get a copy of this photo and article I can add to the bottom of this story.
I also note that, beginning in 1978, five successive graduating class nicknames started with the letter C. After the Moe Gang started the tradition, the "Cronies" started the C-letter class tradition. (This might be explained by the fact Charles Henderson High School - aka "Chuck High" - starts with a letter C).
Alas, my class of '83 departed from this tradtition with the "Sasquatian Dogs." After us, no class used a C-name for their nickname.
BTW, spelling "Sasquation Dogs" was a challenge in itself ... and took a lot more paint!
... I didn't mention it in my story, but the CHHS Class of 1988 might have plotted to continue the tradition even with all of the extra security and safety measures now employed at the base of the tower. Fortunately, this did not happen. However (per multiple sources), if the tradition had continued - and for the record - the Class of 1988's nickname/mantra - what WOULD have been painted on the Water Tower - was "Hang Loose."
Greg Wilkes added some excellent details about the "Moe Noodleman Gang," circa 1977. He said it all started in Mrs. Swisher's journalism class:
The Moe Noodleman Gang, class of 1977. Much to Mrs Swisher’s chagrin, MNG was born in her journalism class in 1976.
Some of its members spent considerable time at the Zippy Mart (Now a Japanese restaurant) banging away on the Red Baron pinball machine while out selling ads for the school paper, Trojan Myths.
MNG was also known to plant false announcements on the school’s morning intercom during homeroom.
Our vice principal was fond of reading out out car tag numbers and vehicle descriptions that needed to be moved to their correct parking places, only to become flustered one morning when she read out the info for her own car, courtesy of the Moe Noodleman Gang.
“Teachers, if you can’t hear my voice, push your button” was mine and Janice’s favorite quote of hers. She made that announcement the day the intercom system was installed 😂
A story I wrote for Troy Life magazine on the transformation of Troy University’s campus shows that this very water tower might have gotten the beautification momentum started.
By all accounts, Janice Hawkins spear-headed the effort to beautify the grounds of Troy University (now considered “Alabama’s most beautiful campus,” a claim I think is true.)
I interviewed Mrs. Hawkins and she related a story from the Hawkins’ first year in Troy in late 1989.
Excerpt:
“Mrs. Hawkins was enjoying a campus walk with friend and long-time faculty member Dr. Phil Kelley when they stopped to rest at the football stadium. While sitting on the bleachers, Mrs. Hawkins looked over at the water tower located between CHHS and the fire station.
“If we could only get that water tower painted and at least add a Troy University logo,” she told Kelley.
Kelley proceeded to give his friend a pep talk, imploring her to “not get discouraged.”
Soon after this, Mrs. Hawkins had a conversation with then Troy Mayor Jimmy Lunsford and secured a commitment to re-paint the water tower.
“I was so excited,” she says.
***
After making the water tower prettier, Mrs. Hawkins was off and running on other projects!
(The City of Troy then went “all-in” on impressive water towers with its beautiful water tower on Highway 231 probably one of Troy’s best-known landmarks today).
The following statement was released by Dan Smith:
While I can neither confirm nor deny that I was involved in the painting of the water tower adjacent to Charles Henderson High School, I will thank you for this opportunity to hopefully provide some insight into the atrocities of that cool Spring evening of 1977, with temperatures in the low to bid 60's, winds light and variable, barometric pressure at about 30.85 and steady, with visibility being reported as unlimited at the Troy Regional Airport, while at the same time clearing my good name and character of said deed.
All of us Seniors of 1977 held that pristine, battle-ship gray water tower without blemish in the highest of regard, and would have never dreamed of two young men climbing that spire, as one young man had a wire metal handle of a half-gallon of red paint clinched between his teeth as he climbed, while the other held tightly to a mop as the ascent began.
As anyone with the Class of 1977 will tell you, I was an aspiring writer of a comic strip in The Trojan Myths, with the main character being Moe Noodleman.
Moe had quite the following, and as Herman Gunter is my witness, Moe even came in second place in SGA voting that year, as a write-in candidate.
So it stands to reason that someone would climb that tower, paint Moe '77 in red letters, and blame immediately be cast in the direction not only of myself, but my innocent friends Larry Grant and Randy Pemberton.
Anyone that knew Randy, Larry and myself back in those days, knows that we were likely at the library, studying as we always were, for the sake of our love and respect for that gem atop a hill.
To this day, Randy, Larry and I continue our search for the "Real Painters."
… I hope this clears up many of the false accusations I have had to endure over the last 47 years. - Dan Smith.
UPDATE (5:40 p.m): I added another photo showing the bottom of the water tower in 1987. This was key evidence for Troy Police Department detectives assigned to the case.
As I’ve mentioned before, my grand-father’s entire family is from Jacksonville, and I’m rather versed in Troy. I love your style of regional journalism. It turns out that our culture is both reflected and preserved in our media. God bless the Rices.
Thank you, John. I wonder if we are related?
My Rices are from Erwin, TN. My family there is the Goreys. There is an author at the university of Alabama who has written about Jacksonville, and I’ve reached out to him.
Now that is an EPIC TALE!
Chris Amos insists that we wrote something else, but as far as I know, we were the only one's in '88 that climber the water tower. We didn't stay up there long enough to write anything really long. I was more scared of getting caught than climbing the tower, lol. Only other thing I can remember doing bad was stealing a candy bar at Super X when I was 7, and boy did Amy Stewart whoop that tail when we got home. 😅
To set the record strait, I had just gotten out of the hospital for lung surgery in 1988. It was the summer before my senior year, and I had a renewed sense of adventure, so I called up my best friend Chris Amos. I don't know who came up with the idea, but before I knew it, I was halfway up the ladder of the water tower, next door to the Troy Campus Police with a can of spray paint, with Chris Amos behind me. I don't remember much about that day, but I do remember running across the band practice field and the woods in the dark, and trying to catch my breath.......
P.S. We left our mark on the tower with the note 'BAD 88'
I'm not surprised you would be a part of such a daring adventure. Thanks for adding these details, Richie.
I loved this story. It has a bit of Robert McCammon, a tad of Stephen King, a soupçon of JD Vance and even a dash of S E Hinton. Hats off to the Water Tower Wunderkind!
May I tell you mine? We had a drive thru convenience store called “The Dairy” in our small town. The owner had a cartoonish, fiberglass cow out in front of the store. It was in a prancing posture with one front hoof raised, and her tail arched gaily over her back. Our junior year one of us noticed that cow was secured with only a few bolts to plates under her three remaining hooves. As it turned out it was simple to undo those nuts, lift the 200-pound cow off her mooring (we were all wrestlers and could bench 250+) and escape with the kidnapping victim in the back of a ‘58 GMC pickup.
What we hadn’t thought through was the fact that the owner was a retired Sheriff’s Deputy who never had been known to have a sense of humor, and the cow had cost him over $600 to install. This made it grand theft, which quickly became felony extortion when we foolishly demanded a ransom for the cow’s safe return.
We stored the purloined bovine in a garage, blindfolded her eyes, put a cigarette between her lips and held a shotgun to her head. We made a cardboard sign, “$1000 or the cow gets it!” And sent the polaroid to the owner. That was when the story made the paper, and the paper mentioned “felonies”.
We obtained travel posters from the local travel company “for the school library” and shot polaroids with the posters as background. We put the cow in the pickup with a tarp over her, drive her to the playground and shot polaroids of her on pieces of equipment. We milked this project (pun intended) for about two weeks. The paper updated the story as it progressed.
All the pictures, of course went to the owner. Being a retired cop, he knew the day it happened who had done it. He also knew that we meant no harm and would not damage the cow. Eventually on a slow Sunday all three of the area’s deputies were out north of town and the owner was in church, so we scurried back to the dairy, bolted down the cow and scattered.
The local paper expressed the relief of the entire town that the talisman had been returned without incident. The owner promised not to press charges. The guilty parties breathed a sigh of relief.
That caper beats this one by a mile. Thanks for sharing this!
I think you should clarify that our class nickname was Heroes of ‘83 and deviated from what was painted on the water tower. It could be very confusing in 100 years when someone finds our banner and tries to match it to your article. 😉
You just did. But for the record, the CHHS Class of '83 was also known as the "Heroes." I still like Sasquatian Dogs, though. The person who came up with that silly monicker (Mike Tedder) is still my hero!
I cannot stop laughing at "and because the statute of limitations has long since expired..."
Here's one from Australia that involves abseiling over the edge of a cliff tethered to a jeep: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-04/castle-hill-saint-story-immortalised-in-new-book/101500820
not just a little spray can stuck in somebody's back pocket, but a whole gallon of house paint and a mop
now that's gangsta!
UPDATE (Nov. 7, 2024): I now have an excellent source who can confirm the three "Clowns" who painted the tower in 1980. Here's a written account from a source I will not name, but he names himself in a "confession" recently posted on Facebook:
"I have always admired the fine work done by the Clowns of 80. For clarity regarding our story Tim Archer, Mark Dailey and myself were tapped to make our mark. Half way up the tower Dailey freeze’s up, can’t move! So Archer and I have to tote all stuff up there ourselves including Dailey. We had carefully planned our mission. We wanted our name high on the tank above everyone else so we had a pole with a mop head tapped to an extension pole and a gallon of paint. So Archer and I completed the mission. We had to threaten Dailey that we were going to leave him up there (and we would have) if he didn’t come down with us. So now you know."
Here's the link to the updated water tower story:
https://thetroycitizen.substack.com/p/painting-the-water-tower
UPDATE/CORRECTION: The name that was painted on the water tower for 1981 is "Shades '81." The class nickname is/was "Champs '81." Thanks to Ken Williams for sending me a Trojan Myths story and photo, confirming this. Ken sent me a FB message that includes a copy of a story that ran in The Trojan Myths, a first-person account of one of the artists.
The story (submitted by "T-Bob") includes a photo of about eight class members who must have been part of the "Shades" posse. (Presumably to protect their identities, all students are wearing shades in the photo.) The Class of '81 was/is also known as "The Champs," since CHHS won a state championship in football in the 1980 football season - still, the only state football championship for the school.
I'm still not sure how many "Shades'" members actually painted the water tower (perhaps just two?).
I'm trying to get a copy of this photo and article I can add to the bottom of this story.
Thanks for this new info, Ken!
UPDATE from Tim Archer via Facebook, November 2nd: “I have intel telling me there were three involved in '80, two of which have not been ID’ed.”
I also note that, beginning in 1978, five successive graduating class nicknames started with the letter C. After the Moe Gang started the tradition, the "Cronies" started the C-letter class tradition. (This might be explained by the fact Charles Henderson High School - aka "Chuck High" - starts with a letter C).
Alas, my class of '83 departed from this tradtition with the "Sasquatian Dogs." After us, no class used a C-name for their nickname.
BTW, spelling "Sasquation Dogs" was a challenge in itself ... and took a lot more paint!
... I didn't mention it in my story, but the CHHS Class of 1988 might have plotted to continue the tradition even with all of the extra security and safety measures now employed at the base of the tower. Fortunately, this did not happen. However (per multiple sources), if the tradition had continued - and for the record - the Class of 1988's nickname/mantra - what WOULD have been painted on the Water Tower - was "Hang Loose."
Greg Wilkes added some excellent details about the "Moe Noodleman Gang," circa 1977. He said it all started in Mrs. Swisher's journalism class:
The Moe Noodleman Gang, class of 1977. Much to Mrs Swisher’s chagrin, MNG was born in her journalism class in 1976.
Some of its members spent considerable time at the Zippy Mart (Now a Japanese restaurant) banging away on the Red Baron pinball machine while out selling ads for the school paper, Trojan Myths.
MNG was also known to plant false announcements on the school’s morning intercom during homeroom.
Our vice principal was fond of reading out out car tag numbers and vehicle descriptions that needed to be moved to their correct parking places, only to become flustered one morning when she read out the info for her own car, courtesy of the Moe Noodleman Gang.
A different era of misspent youth…
“Teachers, if you can’t hear my voice, push your button” was mine and Janice’s favorite quote of hers. She made that announcement the day the intercom system was installed 😂
Ha!
A story I wrote for Troy Life magazine on the transformation of Troy University’s campus shows that this very water tower might have gotten the beautification momentum started.
By all accounts, Janice Hawkins spear-headed the effort to beautify the grounds of Troy University (now considered “Alabama’s most beautiful campus,” a claim I think is true.)
I interviewed Mrs. Hawkins and she related a story from the Hawkins’ first year in Troy in late 1989.
Excerpt:
“Mrs. Hawkins was enjoying a campus walk with friend and long-time faculty member Dr. Phil Kelley when they stopped to rest at the football stadium. While sitting on the bleachers, Mrs. Hawkins looked over at the water tower located between CHHS and the fire station.
“If we could only get that water tower painted and at least add a Troy University logo,” she told Kelley.
Kelley proceeded to give his friend a pep talk, imploring her to “not get discouraged.”
Soon after this, Mrs. Hawkins had a conversation with then Troy Mayor Jimmy Lunsford and secured a commitment to re-paint the water tower.
“I was so excited,” she says.
***
After making the water tower prettier, Mrs. Hawkins was off and running on other projects!
(The City of Troy then went “all-in” on impressive water towers with its beautiful water tower on Highway 231 probably one of Troy’s best-known landmarks today).