Last year at this time I was in the middle of the tough two-month process of saying goodbye to Don Bolden, who would pass away quietly on Aug. 2, 2018 after a battle with cancer that lasted a little less than nine months. Don, the editor emeritus of the Burlington Times-News and the man who … Continue reading Helping cancer patients and remembering friends like Don Bolden and Mike Wilder
Mike Wilder
Eulogy for a friend: Did Mike Wilder really say that out loud?
People develop interesting bonds in compact work spaces where creative minds are churning in a highly combustible atmosphere. Co-workers alternately love, loathe and tolerate each other -- the occasional shouting aside. They laugh easily, sometimes with gallows humor while minor jealousies simmer within a cauldron of bad or slightly nervous annoying habits. When things go … Continue reading Eulogy for a friend: Did Mike Wilder really say that out loud?
A message from one friend to another
Two years ago I reached out via a final newspaper column to a person in the Alamance County community who made a profound difference in the lives of several dozen people who were undergoing some hardship. In the process this person, someone I came to call "My Anonymous Friend," strongly impacted my own life. His … Continue reading A message from one friend to another
Remembering Mike: Great tunes for an even greater cause
I have reached an age where I read more news on social media about cancer impacting those around me than about the exploits of their children. That's how it is when you're gaining on age 59. Two years ago this week, we lost my aunt Nancy Kate to cancer. A friend just the other day … Continue reading Remembering Mike: Great tunes for an even greater cause
Memories of friend and colleague Mike Wilder still vivid after five years
When Burlington Times-News reporter and friend Mike Wilder was in the final days of his 45 years on earth I began compiling a list of things I would remember about him most. Funny how the little stuff sticks with you. I thought I’d share it again today, the five-year anniversary of his death from cancer … Continue reading Memories of friend and colleague Mike Wilder still vivid after five years
Still in Mike Wilder’s corner and still helping those battling cancer
There is no feeling in a workplace quite like the one when a colleague is taken in the prime of life by either accident, incident or unspeakable disease. For the Burlington Times-News in the spring of 2013 the culprit was No. 3. It was tough to watch how quickly cancer swallowed Mike Wilder, a longtime … Continue reading Still in Mike Wilder’s corner and still helping those battling cancer
It began with a bake sale . . .
Four years ago today I got another in a series of lessons regarding people – that they’re much better on average than most give them credit for. Of course it’s easy to see how anyone can be confused. Judging by what I see on social media, humanity made its last stand months and months – … Continue reading It began with a bake sale . . .
Madison's Avenue 