Flying L's Class of '59

I aked Dick Grim to tell us about what he has been up to. Check this out!
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After college and a brief stint in the Army I ended up in Charleston, SC,
Augusta, GA, and then Philadelphia for eight years. I moved to Alexandria,
VA in 1976 where I was in the restaurant and real estate business till I
semi-retired in 2000.  I always had a passion for history even before
taking Fla. History under Mrs,. Bryant (believe it or not she was a
classmate of my father who was also a graduate of FLHS in 1928).

I spent every study hall and half the time in classes reading about the
Civil War and WWII (hardly ever got caught).  I remember in Mr. Prim's
Chemistry class being told  "If you aren't going to pay attention at
least do something constructive."  I've never been able to pass an
historical silver and black sign without stopping.  I got very interested
in Civil War reenacting around 1975 joing a Confederate artillery unit for
several years and then having my own cannon and crew. We had the cannon
and caisson which we carried on a trailer from Spring through Fall as far
north as Niagra Falls, west to Indiana and of course all over PA, MD, VA,
and WV.

0ver half of all the civil war battles were fought around Virginia and half
the roads near me are named for Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.  I've
worked with a number of the US Park Services in filming documentaries and
providing action scenes for PBS and Historical channels.  We've camped out
inside Ft. McHenry in Baltimore Harbor and on the battlefields of Gettysburg,
Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chacellorsville, Appomattox, Richmond and through
out the Shenandoah Valley. Now that I've retired from pushing a 2000 lb.
cannon, trying not to get stomped on by horses during a battle, and trying
to keep from freezing at night on some forlorn cornfield with torrents of
rain coming down.

I'm able to share my interest by giving tours to people from as far away as
Europe, Austrailia, New Zealand, Ireland, and England who are fascinated
about the American Civil War.  I don't think I'll ever get tired of standing
on Little Roundtop, High Water Mark (Gettysburg), Burnsides Bridge,
Appomattox Court House, etc.  If you haven't visited the Washington DC area
recently you should think about it.  You can't beat it for history and if
battlefields aren't your cup of tea then maybe Mt. Vernon, Monticello, or
Montpelier, the memorials or museums in DC, our two Air & Space Museums,
local vineyards, Annapolis, the Shenandoah Valley, etc.

I'm enclsoing a few pictures taken over the years of some of the reenactors
I've come across.  The period clothing is getting better and better and many
reenators volunteer and are sought after for some of the movies that have
recently come out.

Enjoy,
Dick Grim