This would have to be among the last columns I produced in my long newspaper career and it tells the sad and oddly inspiring story of one of the best athletes in Alamance County history whose life was altered by cruel fate. I wrote this on the occasion of the death of Bill Gentry in … Continue reading From the archive: Remembering the tragedy and miracle of Bill Gentry
Month: August 2018
New buildings appear like magic at Elon
About six or so years ago -- back when my spouse, the lovely and talented Roselee Papandrea, first started working at Elon University -- I began to notice something that hadn't occurred to me before. Every building on the Elon campus looks like, or very much like, it has been there for decades. Everything matches, … Continue reading New buildings appear like magic at Elon
Silencing Sam (updated to reflect UNC response)
Update: on Nov. 3, 2018 the UNC Board of Trustees took this action concerning the Silent Sam statue. Citing the state law mentioned in the post below, the board said its hands were tied concerning moving the statue to a museum or memorial park. In order to keep it on campus and relatively safe, the … Continue reading Silencing Sam (updated to reflect UNC response)
Are the days numbered for football?
High school football in North Carolina starts tonight -- that's Friday Aug. 17, 2018 (for historical purposes). A dozen or so teams in the area in and around Alamance County will take the field. Some will do so against traditional rivals. Williams travels across Burlington to face Cummings in a game that once ended the … Continue reading Are the days numbered for football?
Growing up with football and growing concerned about football
This is a column I wrote nearly five years ago -- February 2013 -- about my youth football days -- fun but tough -- and what I believed then and now to be the future for American football. It probably doesn't have one in its current form. A few high school teams in North Carolina … Continue reading Growing up with football and growing concerned about football
The case of the Alamance 12
Do a quick search on Google under the keywords Alamance 12. You'll find a few stories right away about what has become a notorious and politically charged (what isn't these days) case involving illegal voting in the county I call home. Most of the stories are from the local newspaper, the Burlington Times-News, where I … Continue reading The case of the Alamance 12
The perfect birthday gift in the perfect summer of 1968
First published as a column in the Jacksonville Daily News in August of 1997. He was just about to turn nine. This, in and of itself, was no epic event. There would be bigger birthdays. And there were more important events going on in the world. But in the days before his birthday -- August … Continue reading The perfect birthday gift in the perfect summer of 1968
The life of Don Bolden: Editor emeritus, citizen emeritus
I wrote this news obituary about my one-time boss and longtime friend Don Bolden for the Burlington Times-News in advance of his death. I was asked if I would take on this assignment so the newspaper would have something substantial in hand when the end came. I sent this to city editor Tom Jones in … Continue reading The life of Don Bolden: Editor emeritus, citizen emeritus
Wanted: A gathering of Burlington newspaper people
Sunday afternoon we said goodbye to one-time newspaper colleague and lifetime friend Don Bolden, who died Aug. 2, 2018 at age 85 after an eight-month fight with cancer. I made the short drive from my house in Burlington to First Baptist Church in downtown just a few miles away. Others traveled far greater distances to … Continue reading Wanted: A gathering of Burlington newspaper people
Don Bolden, Jan. 19, 1933-Aug. 2, 2018: There will never be another like him
NOTE: Please follow this link to read the comprehensive obituary story about Don in the Times-News. I walked through the entrance to Alamance Regional Medical Center and headed toward the reception area. I applied hand sanitizer from the nearby dispenser and asked the woman behind the counter which room Don Bolden was in. "He's in … Continue reading Don Bolden, Jan. 19, 1933-Aug. 2, 2018: There will never be another like him
Madison's Avenue 