WILEY HARRIS DHS-’67! I MET WILEY IN THE 8TH GRADE AT DUNBAR HIGH SCHOOL, AS A POSSIBLE MEMBER TO JOIN THE PROJECTIONIST CLUB! THIS CLUB, ALONG WITH BEN JONES, REGINALD JOHNSON, EDWARD HOYLE AND OTHERS HELPED MAINTAIN THE PROJECTORS, RECORD PLAYERS, TAPE RECORDERS THAT TEACHERS WOULD NEED FOR TEACHING. THE SPECTACULAR CHRISTMAS PLAYS, MISS BRONZE, PUT ON BY MR. STAMPS HAD TO BE A PERFECT PRESENTATION THE CLUB WAS ALSO IN CHARGE OF!  THE CORRECT LIGHT SETTING AND FADE, THE SOUND, AND THE SPOTLIGHTS ARE IMPORTANT…..LIKE I FOUND OUT IN THE STORY BELOW!

 

 WANTED TO JOIN AN ELITE SCHOOL CLUB WHERE MISTAKES WERE NOT EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT! I WOULD BE THE YOUNGEST MEMBER, AND REALLY HAD TO PROVE MYSELF TO THE OTHER MEMBERS. I WAS THE “GRUNT”… I RAN TO DINKS TO GET DRINKS FOR EVERYONE, GO FETCH A RECORD PLAYER FOR SOMEONE….ECT. I DIDN’T MIND, KINDA LIKE A PLEDGE IN COLLEGE. WILEY KINDA LEANED ON MY A BIT, AND HE FOUND OUT THAT I KNEW A LOT OF ELECTRONICS, STUFF HE DIDN’T KNOW! I BECAME A RIGHT-HAND MAN FOR EVERYONE. WE GOT INTO HEATED ARGUMENTS, AND A LOT OF TIMES I WAS CORRECT ON THE ISSUE! LET’S SAY WE TOLERATED EACH OTHER THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL! WHEN WILEY AND BEN GRADUATED, WE LOST TOUCH WHEN ALL WENT TO COLLEGE AND LEFT TOWN. *****(below is a link put together by welford jones)

(CLICK HERE) FOR WILEY’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, LEADING TO BEING ABLE TO HAVE A FREE CLASS REUNION FOR HIS CLASS OF ’67! WOW….NOW THAT WAS NICE! WILEY AND THELMA SETTLED IN GREENSBORO, N.C, BUILDING A BEAUTIFUL HOME THERE IN 2001. JUST LIKE I HAVE A PASSION FOR OLD RADIOS, WILEY HAD A PASSION FOR MODEL TRAINS! JUST ABOUT THE ENTIRE SECOND FLOOR OF THEIR HOME WAS TURNED INTO ONE VERY LARGE TRAIN LAYOUT! THE SET HAS MODEL HOMES, CARS, LAKES, BUILDINGS… A SPECIAL ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAD TO BE INSTALLED TO RUN EVERYTHING! MY LITTLE TRAIN SET WAS A FIGURE 8 LAYOUT, ONE TRANSFORMER CONTROLLER ONE TREE AND ONE BUILDING! WILEYS SET WAS…..WOW!!! 
 
BELOW ARE SHOTS OF THE EARLY STAGES OF THE LAYOUT. THE WALLS OF A FEW ROOMS WERE TORN OUT, AND A CENTRAL CONTROL PANEL WAS BUILT. YOU SHOULD SEE WILEY AT THE CONTROLS WITH THIS CASEY JONES LOOKING HAT ON??   

THROUGH THE YEARS, BEN TOLD ME THAT WILEY CAME IN TOWN TO VISIT AND CALLED HIM NOW AND THEN. WILEY AND THELMA WERE IN A POSITION TO DO GOOD THINGS FOR CLASSMATES AND FRIENDS. THEY HAD INVITED A FEW TO PARTYS THEY HOSTED WITH A FEW FAMOUS FOLKS! GO TO “BLK THEATER FRSTIVAL, AND DINNER” ON THIS SITE!

 I ASKED WILEY IF I COULD COME DOWN AND TAKE A FEW PICTURES AND PUT THEM ON MY WEB-SITE….HE SAID GREAT! THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WILEY AND I HAD TALKED IN DECADES! WE TALKED ABOUT OUR HOBBYS AND EMAILED EACH OTHER ABOUT THE RETURN OF THE 611 STEAM ENGINE COMING TO THE AREA! I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE TICKETS FOR RIDES ON THE TRAIN FROM GREENSBORO TO LYNCHBURG AND ROANOKE….YOU KNOW HE WAS INTERESTED ABOUT THAT! I SENT WILEY THE PICTURES I TOOK OF THE 611 TRAIN IN LYNCHBURG IN 2016, AND HE WAS GRATEFUL!

IN JULY 2016, IT WAS WILEY AND THELMA’S 25TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. I OPENED THE MAILBOX AND THERE WAS AN INVITATION TO IT! I TOLD ZEE TO CANCEL EVERYTHING….WE ARE GOING TO THIS! IT WAS GREAT, CATERED, A JAMACIAN BAND PLAYED, I SAT RIGHT NEAR THE CHEF COOKING LAMB CHOPS! A FEW DHS FRIENDS WERE INVITED TOO! I HAD HEARD ABOUT IT, WONDERING ABOUT IT, AND WILEY MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE WOULD SOON START UP THE TRAINS….EVERYBODY UPSTAIRS TO THE SECOND FLOOR!! THE TRAINS…..OH MAN……THEY WENT EVERYWHERE, THROUGH TUNNELS, OVER BRIDGES, INTO THE NEXT ROOM, WOW! IT WAS AMAZING! THERE WERE TRAINS GOING INTO WALLS AND EMERGING SOMEWHERE ELSE! HERE IS A SHORT VIDEO OF WILEY’S TRAINS RUNNING…..

>>>>>>>>> A MUST SEE! (CLICK HERE) http://www.whjones1.magix.net/all-albums/!/oa/7417001-128525550/