My one-time newspaper editor and longtime friend Don Bolden had by his own estimation more than 2,000 photos in his possession at the time of his death. They are images of Burlington, Graham, Elon and other points in Alamance County dating to his start in media as a photographer for his high school newspaper just … Continue reading Good homes for Don Bolden’s images of Alamance County
Past imperfect
My college years, Brett Kavanaugh, beer, misbehavior and ‘Animal House’
This is about men. This is about Brett Kavanaugh. This is about beer. This is about judgment, or a lack of it. This is about temperament. This is about honesty. This is about privilege and college and the moral compass or gyroscope that keeps polite society functional. This is about different times in our history, … Continue reading My college years, Brett Kavanaugh, beer, misbehavior and ‘Animal House’
North Carolina underwater, again
When I worked for a newspaper on the North Carolina coast we covered lot of hurricanes, some that ever made landfall at all. We reported about the approach of major storms so people in the Onslow, Carteret and Pender county areas would be well prepared should the storm make landfall. Some of that early storm … Continue reading North Carolina underwater, again
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 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
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
Fluent in authentic weather gibberish
We're in another Atlantic Hurricane Season and the most active time is basically from now to October. In just the past week Hurricane Chris bypassed an East Coast landfall and puttered north over the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Beryl went pitthhh -- a highly scientific term, I admit -- before entering the Gulf Coast. I hope it … Continue reading Fluent in authentic weather gibberish
That time Susan Sarandon visited Graham
I wrote this at about the time the film "Bull Durham" celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1998. The baseball film comedy just turned 30 in June so it's time to share it again. A big chunk of the popular movie starring Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon was filmed at minor league ballparks and other locations … Continue reading That time Susan Sarandon visited Graham
The summer of 1968 and my first Major League baseball game
The summer of 1968 was a pivotal and contentious year around the world, and especially so in America. The country was at war in a place few had ever heard of. The Tet Offensive in January signaled a problem there in Vietnam far greater than U.S. leaders would admit and an increasingly embattled incumbent president … Continue reading The summer of 1968 and my first Major League baseball game
Black, white and red all over
When reports first surfaced Thursday afternoon about the mass shooting at the Capital Gazette, a newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, dozens of thoughts crossed my mind simultaneously. I'm an old newspaper guy after all and even though I left the business in November of 2016, there's no such thing as a former journalist, especially for someone … Continue reading Black, white and red all over
Madison's Avenue 