AUTHOR'S NOTE: Reflections of summers growing up in Danbury, North Carolina in the late 1960s and early '70s. It was fun living in the country back then with little to worry about and a river to play in. I first wrote this in 2014. The Dan River in Danbury, North Carolina in a photo taken … Continue reading The joys of summer in a small town
Life in Stokes County
Faded memory: Not just another goat tale
This is a column I wrote for the Jacksonville Daily News in 1996 from a collection compiled by my wife Roselee just before we got married in 1997. In those days I wrote often about growing up in Stokes County, especially during the summer months when childhood memories for me are strongest. And in those … Continue reading Faded memory: Not just another goat tale
The worst crime in Stokes County history remains a source of fascination
Author's note: First shared in January 2019. The first thing you notice is how small the headline is. The publication date was New Year's Day 1930 in the primary weekly newspaper covering Stokes County in that particular time. It's from the now former Danbury Reporter, founded by the Pepper family in Danbury. Today it's known … Continue reading The worst crime in Stokes County history remains a source of fascination
Christmas in Danbury, where time stands still
I wrote this in 2003 when I was with the Jacksonville Daily News. Still little has changed in Danbury in terms of appearance. There are some tweaks here and there. And the downtown area, what there is of it, was revamped across from the courthouse into a fantastic Arts Place. Over time it took the … Continue reading Christmas in Danbury, where time stands still
Throwback Thursday: The man who actually invented ‘The Wave’
This is a column I wrote way back in June of 1997 about life in my hometown of Danbury, North Carolina in the 1960s and '70s when I was growing up there. Danbury in those days was full of interesting people, charming rogues and, well, characters. All were and still are special to me in … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: The man who actually invented ‘The Wave’
Shame on display (Updated with more details)
My longtime friend Lisa Ashmore messaged me Sunday night with a question. She noted the recent opening of the new Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Incarceration as well as the National Memorial for Peace and Justice both in Montgomery, Alabama. While exploring the website for these two joined projects -- one marking the horrifying legacy … Continue reading Shame on display (Updated with more details)
Throwback Thursday: The story of the Potato Salad Kid
A few weeks ago I ran across an old manila folder containing a collection of columns I wrote for the Jacksonville Daily News more than 20 years ago -- 1997 in fact. Because I still like a few of them, I'll share one or two over the next few weeks. Today I'm offering one first … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: The story of the Potato Salad Kid
Witnessing the Long Island Medium
A skeptic from birth and a registered contrarian for more than three decades of good and dedicated standing I'm probably the last person most would expect to find at a program that involves a psychic, a medium, a fortune-teller, a tarot-card reader, a palm-reader, a tea-leaf scatterer, a Magic 8-Ball shaker or those who worship … Continue reading Witnessing the Long Island Medium
An enduring Easter family tradition
Easter was always about my grandfather. Well, that's probably overstating the case. And of course time changes things. Now it's also about my grandmother and my father and, well, many others, too. But when I was a kid growing up in the mountain town that will always be my first home, Easter was about my … Continue reading An enduring Easter family tradition
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 