I wrote this news obituary about my one-time boss and longtime friend Don Bolden for the Burlington Times-News in advance of his death. I was asked if I would take on this assignment so the newspaper would have something substantial in hand when the end came. I sent this to city editor Tom Jones in … Continue reading The life of Don Bolden: Editor emeritus, citizen emeritus
Reporting and journalism
Wanted: A gathering of Burlington newspaper people
Sunday afternoon we said goodbye to one-time newspaper colleague and lifetime friend Don Bolden, who died Aug. 2, 2018 at age 85 after an eight-month fight with cancer. I made the short drive from my house in Burlington to First Baptist Church in downtown just a few miles away. Others traveled far greater distances to … Continue reading Wanted: A gathering of Burlington newspaper people
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
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
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
Inside Elon’s Schar Center: It’s ‘unreal’
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Photo gallery at the end. "Unreal," Don Bolden said. "This is just . . . unreal." I had to agree. Don, my longtime friend and former boss, was getting his first look inside the massive (160,000 square feet!) Schar Center. He's a longtime Elon supporter and basketball fan who also spent more than … Continue reading Inside Elon’s Schar Center: It’s ‘unreal’
A first lesson in you never know what you might find
Sometime in 1983 while on my first reporting job after college my then-new friend and newspaper colleague Fletcher Waynick told me about something I thought was pretty interesting. He thought it would make a pretty good story and I agreed. It was my first lesson in "you never know what you might find in the … Continue reading A first lesson in you never know what you might find
A county politician’s education karma; or, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Lashley
I know Bill Lashley. I don't know him well, but I have spoken to him several times over the years. He's always unfailingly polite and often complimentary when I have encountered him. He is engaging, doesn't mind a laugh and is friendly to passersby the times I've watched him at Fourth Fridays in downtown Burlington. … Continue reading A county politician’s education karma; or, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Lashley
Just the facts, adjusted of course for . . .
The subject was billed as "The Rise and Fall of the Fact." And while it sounds like a treatise in current events, in reality it was a brief history of the world. And who better to talk about facts than a law professor who teaches a course at Harvard University called "The History of Evidence." … Continue reading Just the facts, adjusted of course for . . .
Spreading the word to an international market
Today it seems the Elon Musk post from last week has run its course. Page views for this site are now back to a sadly normal state -- in the range of 30 to 50 views a day. This return to earth arrives after five straight days of views in excess of 400. Two days … Continue reading Spreading the word to an international market
Madison's Avenue 