A little more than two years ago I posed a question to my friends on Facebook. I stated that I planned to begin a writing project online via a wordpress blog. What should I call it? Quickly the folks who responded rallied around a particular name. I provided a suitable photo befitting an alleged writer … Continue reading By the numbers: The journey continues into year three on Madison’s Avenue
Reporting and journalism
The lessons and healing from the Pan-Am 103 bombing continue after 30 years
EDITOR'S NOTE: Today (December 21, 2018) is the 30-year anniversary of the bombing of Pan-Am Flight 103 -- a singular event in global history and a major tragedy for hundreds of families, the village of Lockerbie Scotland where the mid-air explosion occurred and Syracuse University where 35 students perished. My wife, Roselee Papandrea Taylor, was … Continue reading The lessons and healing from the Pan-Am 103 bombing continue after 30 years
Then there was that Thanksgiving when my lung exploded
This happened in 2006, on Nov. 22, the day before Thanksgiving that year. I wrote about the experience for the Jacksonville Daily News a couple of months later in January 2007. Five months after that, we moved to Burlington -- that was a lot of stuff going on all at one short period of time. … Continue reading Then there was that Thanksgiving when my lung exploded
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
A legacy sealed by an assassin’s bullet
I wrote this in 2013 for the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John Kennedy. First published in the Burlington Times-News. I think this toon appeared with it. The conspiracies are still out there after all these years. For those who find themselves in Dallas, the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is well … Continue reading A legacy sealed by an assassin’s bullet
Departing the best job ever for an even better one
Last spring I was working on a writing project about the Numen Lumen Pavilion at Elon University. While I was interviewing a student about the role the building plays on campus he had a question for me. "So, do you talk to students and professors about things here at Elon and write feature stories about … Continue reading Departing the best job ever for an even better one
Good homes for Don Bolden’s images of Alamance County
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
Showing signs of support for the education bonds
This fall marks historic first. I have an election sign in my front yard. That's right, I'm visibly supporting something. It was the easiest decision I've ever made. But this is still uncharted territory. Because I worked in newspapers I always felt such preferential expressions were personally wrong. So I never had a sign endorsing … Continue reading Showing signs of support for the education bonds
Covering hurricanes has changed but there is still little actual reporting without power
As Sept. 5 careened into Sept. 6 during the North Carolina hurricane summer of 1996, the wind was at locomotive-level decibels outside my father-in-law's home just outside the Swansboro town limits. Tree limbs were snapping like a super-conducting popcorn popper in the back yard. Many limbs skittered across the roof of the house. Rain fell … Continue reading Covering hurricanes has changed but there is still little actual reporting without power
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
Madison's Avenue 