A little more than a year ago Leo Lambert announced plans to retire as president of Elon University, ending 19 remarkable years guiding a once small regional college to its transformation into a nationally renowned university. On the day his plans were made public, I had worked at Elon barely a month. I … Continue reading Leo’s lasts, Elon firsts and new beginnings (Includes video)
Month: February 2018
Stuff is brewing in Graham
The best news I read over the past two weeks arrived in this story via The Times-News. The headline reads: Saxapahaw businesses branch out into Graham. The businesses in question were what caught my eye. One is Haw River Farmhouse Ales. The other is a restaurant to be operated by the owners of The Eddy … Continue reading Stuff is brewing in Graham
Throwback Thursday: Tough for rivals to finally acknowledge greatness
Three years ago today a public memorial ceremony was held following the death of retired University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith. I took that occasion to write about growing up in a basketball-crazed area -- North Carolina -- and how it shapes misguided thinking, until it doesn't and common sense takes over. Rivalries … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Tough for rivals to finally acknowledge greatness
What Billy Graham told Elon students back in 1951
When the Rev. Billy Graham visited Elon on the morning of Nov. 7, 1951 he was in the midst of a rise in national prominence that would one day lead to the label "America's Pastor." I saw that designation quite a few times on Wednesday when the famous evangelist and arguably the most notable North … Continue reading What Billy Graham told Elon students back in 1951
1956: The year Elvis visited Burlington and left high school gyms way behind
One of my favorite features we published during my second tour of duty with the Burlington Times-News was this one by Alamance County historian Walter Boyd. It's about the 18 hours music icon Elvis Presley spent in Burlington in February of 1956, including a performance at Williams High School. That story published in 2015, in … Continue reading 1956: The year Elvis visited Burlington and left high school gyms way behind
A year of new and welcomed challenges
From 2007 to 2016 when part of my job as a newspaper editor involved hiring college students as reporting interns I was often surprised by how many expressed an interest in writing for magazines. When I was a college student back during the dark ages magazine writing never once crossed my mind as a career … Continue reading A year of new and welcomed challenges
Throwback Thursday: A coach who set an example for us all
UNC and Duke are in the final hours today before another installment of the most intense rivalry in college basketball is renewed again. Dean Smith, the legendary coach of the Tar Heels, was right in the thick of it for decades. Smith passed away three years ago on Feb. 7. This is the editorial I … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: A coach who set an example for us all
History, irony and ‘Olympic Pride, American Prejudice’
Nearly everyone who knows much about the history of Olympic sports in the United States has heard of Jesse Owens. Many of them are aware he won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Most of those understand that as an African-American he did so under the glare of Adolf Hitler and … Continue reading History, irony and ‘Olympic Pride, American Prejudice’
Who do we trust?
"The Truth is Out There" and "Trust No One" are two phrases that for years were most closely associated with the murky conspiracy-rich TV series, "The X-Files." Today both define life in the United States of America. How we got to this point in our history was not a random evolution of human nature and culture. … Continue reading Who do we trust?
Remembering two incredible women
Over the past few days I ran across newspaper items I wrote in 2009 about the deaths of two significant woman but only available on pdfs. One I never met but who was a legend in her field -- basketball coach and advocate for cancer research. The other was someone very close to me who … Continue reading Remembering two incredible women
Madison's Avenue 