This is a column I wrote a couple of years ago for the Burlington Times-News about an incident that occurred in Alamance County back when I was a young sports writer in 1987. This involved something at a local high school and the actions of a coach and something he told me as if to … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Not a football-related incident — really?
Column archive
The Durham family business
UPDATE on March 7, 2018: Today the retired and longime voice of UNC basketball and football Woody Durham passed away at age 76. This is something I wrote three years ago when the Mebane native was honored by the Naismith Memorial National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. with a lifetime achievement award for broadcasting. … Continue reading The Durham family business
Throwback Thursday: I almost didn’t survive my first county budget
A memory from my first year as a reporter way back in 1983, first recounted in 2015. --- I walked into Numa Baker’s office on some random day in June of 1983. By any standard it was an immaculate setting. By news reporter standards his desk was clean enough for open heart surgery to be … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: I almost didn’t survive my first county budget
Throwback Thursday: ‘Don’t lie to me like I’m Montel Williams’
I wrote this column only a year ago after the U.S. swim team ran into trouble in Brazil during the Olympics. The moral of the story is, don't lie to the cops, they can usually tell and they don't like it. I'm reminded of this video from the first few episodes of the great old … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: ‘Don’t lie to me like I’m Montel Williams’
Throwback Thursday column: Son of a son of a son of a Confederate veteran
This is a newspaper column I wrote in the summer of 2014 when this issue of Southern heritage and Confederate flags and statues was raised. Yes, it comes up every so often and has for the past 120 years -- about the time the urge to put up Confederate statues began long after the Civil … Continue reading Throwback Thursday column: Son of a son of a son of a Confederate veteran
Nixon in the rearview mirror: What happened then echoes today
I've said on more than one occasion that when I was a newspaper editor I wasn't much of an editorial writer. I didn't like that part of the job very much and even lobbied to get rid of the opinion pages entirely. Often the editorials didn't reflect my own views but the collective voice of … Continue reading Nixon in the rearview mirror: What happened then echoes today
Throwback Thursday: Our bug-infested megalopolis to be
This is something I wrote in 2014 after reading a very revealing study about what North Carolina might look like in the year 2060. Think a bug-infested wasteland -- something like "Blade Runner meets the Andy Griffith Show." This column actually sparked a Community Connections discussion at Elon. Here it goes ... --- It’s almost … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Our bug-infested megalopolis to be
Southern Comfort revisited
A few years ago this question was raised for some fool reason. “How Southern are you?” At first, it was hard to know what to make of such a thing. The question itself was a little off-putting to say the least. After all, you're either Southern or you ain't. Pretty simple really. To even raise … Continue reading Southern Comfort revisited
Throwback Thursday: Importance of July 20, 1969 lost on new generations
This is a column from 2014 on the anniversary of the historic landing on the moon. --- How I came to be talking about the moon landing of 1969 to a group of third-graders whose parents weren’t even born when it happened, was sort of an accident. After all, I’m seldom in the company of … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Importance of July 20, 1969 lost on new generations
Throwback Thursday: 1968 revisited — only we elected George Wallace this time
I wrote this a year ago for the Times-News in Burlington, North Carolina when the nation was on fire -- shootings were rampant, political turmoil was everywhere and we seemed on the precipice on a major cultural shift. A year later here we are only in this reality America elected George Wallace. This is the … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: 1968 revisited — only we elected George Wallace this time
Madison's Avenue 