For the past few years I have posted this over Memorial Day Weekend. It's the strongest memory I have from my newspaper life at the Jacksonville Daily News in North Carolina, the home of Camp Lejeune, the largest Marine Corps installation on the East Coast. I'll always remember. The vase is still with me. ---- … Continue reading The green vase
Reporting and journalism
Top secret: The day Oprah came to Elon
Friday as I sat inside Alumni Gym at Elon University for its annual baccalaureate ceremony, I had some sympathy for my newspaper friends back at their offices in Burlington, Greensboro and Raleigh. Inside the gym a pretty big story no one saw coming emerged just before the actual ceremony began. Without fanfare, music, entourage or … Continue reading Top secret: The day Oprah came to Elon
Disappearing newspapers and history — casualties of time
My history is disappearing. This certainly isn’t new, but there’s not much comfort in that familiarity. It happens to us all. That is the essence of time. Time is the original son of a bitch. Old schools give way to new ones. Buildings that were once landmarks are toppled to make way for new structures. … Continue reading Disappearing newspapers and history — casualties of time
Profiles in Gutlessness: Racists among us
Some headlines this week: “Red Sox apologize for racial taunts toward Orioles player,” Burlington Times-News and a few hundred other newspapers and websites around the nation. “Sigma Phi Epsilon used racial slur towards black student, according to sources,” Elon News Network. “Racism prompts Elon professor to return to Canada,” Elon News Network. “Trump on Civil … Continue reading Profiles in Gutlessness: Racists among us
Mission almost impossible on Tax Day 1989
A memory that reveals just how much times have changed. 11:30 p.m., April 15, 1989 . . . I have no idea why I volunteered to do it, but somehow I found myself standing outside the main Burlington Post Office branch off Maple Avenue as the clock wound toward midnight on Tax Day, 1989. No … Continue reading Mission almost impossible on Tax Day 1989
Can anyone over 30 be trusted with emojis?
Am I way too old to use emojis? Well, maybe. Deep down, I sort of knew this already. This isn't because I have a violent reaction every time I see someone on social media compose sentences, paragraphs or stories using nothing but tiny computer-generated illustrations. This isn't exactly an old fart "get the hell of … Continue reading Can anyone over 30 be trusted with emojis?
There’s always a but ….
The other day I wrote to a friend of mine. The email was slugged: “I don’t want to be that guy, but …” Yeah, there’s always a “but.” My observation was about what was otherwise an outstanding newspaper story in the Burlington Times-News the other day about death penalty cases in North Carolina – how … Continue reading There’s always a but ….
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 . . .
Updated: Mark and Luke Maye: The universe evens things out
Updated to correct Aloha Bowl loss instead of win. When Mark Maye was a high school football player in Charlotte he was probably the most highly recruited player in the state and among the most sought after in the nation. He was the prominent schoolboy quarterback prospect of his time. That he decided to go … Continue reading Updated: Mark and Luke Maye: The universe evens things out
Stopping the presses … for keeps
"Well, my last night as a newspaper pressman at The Times News is here. 40 page, 5 section paper. Lets get this started." -- Sherwood Bland, Times-News pressroom foreman In the history of journalism there is probably no greater cliche than the frazzled editor racing into a large room filled with incredibly noisy machinery and … Continue reading Stopping the presses … for keeps
Madison's Avenue 