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
Elon University
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
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
The Elon football connection to … Bill Belichick?
The print issue of Sports Illustrated this week -- well, make that this month since it appears the magazine will no longer be published on a regular weekly basis -- contains an interesting story on the long-standing friendship of arguably the greatest NFL coach of all time and his counterpart on the collegiate level. I'm … Continue reading The Elon football connection to … Bill Belichick?
The Mediterranean Deli at Elon is almost ready — promise (unofficially)
When it was announced last summer that the Mediterranean Deli, Bakery and Catering planned to open a location in Elon I started monitoring progress at its future home -- the Park Place site on West Haggard Avenue in the downtown area of town. That's how much I'm looking forward to its arrival to the area. I'm … Continue reading The Mediterranean Deli at Elon is almost ready — promise (unofficially)
Nick Saban’s coaching tree yields a promising acorn at Elon
In all the post-game hoopla following the University of Alabama's stunning 26-23 overtime victory over SEC rival Georgia in the FBS national title game Monday night, I took note of an on-field TV interview with Crimson Tide head football coach Nick Saban. He had just tied legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant for the most … Continue reading Nick Saban’s coaching tree yields a promising acorn at Elon
One more view from the press box
I was asked a few weeks ago if I would be interested in writing a story for Elon University's alumni magazine about the magical season then unfolding for the Phoenix football team. As a former (or reformed) sports writer from my newspaper past and a sometime contributor to the Magazine of Elon I was a … Continue reading One more view from the press box
Knowing when the time is right for a change
I bumped into Paul Parsons last week on one of those rainy and raw fall days that make the last of the autumn foliage beg for mercy before tumbling helplessly to the ground. Each of us lost in thought and underneath our umbrellas, we almost collided on the crisscrossing sidewalks along the Elon University campus. … Continue reading Knowing when the time is right for a change
Madison's Avenue 