The first time I recall riding in a Volkswagen beetle the man behind the wheel was Alan Gordon. It was a dark green bug and to that point in my life – age four or five at the outside -- constituted just about the most astonishing thing seen to date on the tar-covered or dirt … Continue reading Goodbye to a true citizen of the world
Past imperfect
Still married: Twenty years and counting
I wrote this column in September of 2007 on what was then our 10th wedding anniversary. Today we mark 20 years. Today both of us are out of the newspaper business (and who would have believed that in 1997?) and I'm always home on time after work. Now I'm the one waiting for her to … Continue reading Still married: Twenty years and counting
Throwback Thursday: Not a football-related incident — really?
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?
That time I gave a newspaper history lesson to Elon journalism students
A few weeks ago Kenn Gaither, associate dean and professor in Elon University’s School of Communications, asked if I would be willing to speak to his entry level journalism class, Comm 100, about the evolution and future of newspapers and future of print and journalism in general. The assignment landed around lunchtime today. I spoke … Continue reading That time I gave a newspaper history lesson to Elon journalism students
Honoring Elon football coaching legend Red Wilson
I stopped by my old newspaper office for a visit on Thursday. Bob Sutton, the longtime sports editor for the Times-News asked me what I might know about a reunion at Elon this weekend around the season-opening football game with Charleston Southern. "Nothing," I told him. Bob proceeded to fill me in. Apparently a group … Continue reading Honoring Elon football coaching legend Red Wilson
A nationally known comedian from . . . Danbury?
Monday morning I got a message from my old newspaper friend Matt Memrick. The message was suitably vague. Enough to get my attention. It stated, "Danbury huh? Who knew comedy came out of that town?" The quote came with a link to a story headlined, "This former 'Saturday Night Live' writer is bringing improv comedy … Continue reading A nationally known comedian from . . . Danbury?
Elegy for Agate (Has it really been four years?)
Cats are hard to figure. They're indifferent to humans, except when they're not. They're alternately fascinating and maddening. People who like cats really love them. People who dislike cats really hate them. I was in the indifferent (that word again) category on the matter for about 40 years, until one found its way into our … Continue reading Elegy for Agate (Has it really been four years?)
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
Memory of hurricanes past: Fran
I'm reminded today that 21 years ago North Carolina was hunkered down for a major storm that would -- following Hurricane Bertha in July -- alter the state's coastal landscape and cause heavy damage inland -- particularly in Raleigh. Burlington and Alamance County didn't escape unscathed either. It was Hurricane Fran. It went on and … Continue reading Memory of hurricanes past: Fran
‘Black Coach’ revisited: Before ‘Remember the Titans’
“Black Coach”; by Pat Jordan; 1971; The Cornwall Press, Inc.; 248 pages. Late summer was dissolving into early fall the first time I walked into Burlington Memorial Stadium to watch a high school football game involving Walter Williams High School. The year was 1985. I began working as a sports writer for the Burlington Times-News … Continue reading ‘Black Coach’ revisited: Before ‘Remember the Titans’
Madison's Avenue 