WHO REMEMBERS WILBUR RAY "RAT" RODEN?

   By: Nolan Bailey

                                                                    (Send us your memories of Pat Roden)

                                                                           MindenMemories@aol.com



Otay!  Otay!

Who remembers Wilbur Ray "Rats" Roden who played basketball for Minden HS during the 1950's....???
 
Was he Wanda Roden's little brother?



I think you may be right. Wilbur Ray Roden and family lived in Bienville before moving to Minden.  His father, Pat Roden,
was the custodian.  I think that Wilbur Ray's father was a brother or cousin to the following person....Murphy Roden.  Wilbur should
have been in the class of 1957.
 

"As he emerged there, all of a sudden, I saw a strange look in his face and at the same time I had a Panama hat in my left hand - and I saw a little gun go right close to me, within a foot or two, a black gun, automatic, and about simultaneously one of the so-called bodyguards, young fellow by the name of Murphy Roden, grabbed the gun and it went off simultaneously, because it hit Huey on the right side - so went along here and through the small of the back,
you see, downward."   www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAweissC.htm


I think that Wilbur "Rats" Roden played on the same team with Jack "Jackie" Moreland.  I'm sure that everyone should remember Jackie, he WAS a basketball
player...

Just between you and me, Wilbur's dad had to leave Bienville.  One afternoon, after school, Wilbur's dad, Pat, was sweeping up near the principal's office when
the principal told him that he hadn't done some chore as had been requested.  Pat got mad and hit Mr. Carpenter on the high forehead with the handle of his broom.  Mr. Carpenter came out of school with blood just pouring down his face.  There was a big gash three inches or so above his right (as I recall) eye.  The only reason that I was
there after school was due to the fact that my mother as a teacher in the elementary grades...

Warmest regards,

Nolan

Nolan Bailey, Sr. 

Rat Roden was supervisor of the scrap yard at Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant during the 1980's. I didn't know him before that. I just assumed that he was called "Rat" because his last name was so close to "rodent", a real rat.

Theresa

Just remembered something about "Rat" Roden.  When he lived in Bienville his nickname was "Bud."  When we played
Minden a few years later, we were surprised to see that he was now known as "Rat."   I guess that he liked it since I think he
had it carved on the back of his leather belt.

Another person that I grew up with in Bienville was Nellie Volentine...Nellie was in my class until she
moved to Minden, somewhere around the eighth grade, or so.  She would have been in the class of 1957.

Nolan