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’
He lived a long time with that new heart
Early June in 2008 was hotter than most. That’s saying a lot these days, when the late spring and early summer months seem to turn up the swelter to “darned near unbearable” more often than in the past. Or so it seems anyway. I was taking a walk. Not all that unusual. I like to … Continue reading He lived a long time with that new heart
Throwback Thursday: The man who actually invented ‘The Wave’
This is a column I wrote way back in June of 1997 about life in my hometown of Danbury, North Carolina in the 1960s and '70s when I was growing up there. Danbury in those days was full of interesting people, charming rogues and, well, characters. All were and still are special to me in … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: The man who actually invented ‘The Wave’
A weekend of surprises and a delight in Beaufort
We returned Sunday from an all-too-short long weekend in Beaufort -- the one in North Carolina. It was our first visit there in two years. So there were bound to be some changes. On this trip four things surprised us. First and foremost the long-awaited four-lane, high-rise bridge connecting the Carteret County mainland to Beaufort … Continue reading A weekend of surprises and a delight in Beaufort
Deja vu all over again for the county budget and education spending
Tim Sutton told me once that he wasn't too concerned about what his legacy as an elected county leader might be. He simply didn't care. It was an interesting statement that could be taken multiple ways. I have spoken to the longtime Alamance County commissioner dating back to his pre-elected office days -- when he … Continue reading Deja vu all over again for the county budget and education spending
Unlucky seven: The demise of Company Shops Co-op
I saw the headline on Twitter this afternoon and had two immediate thoughts. First. "It's a damn shame." And second, "I knew it." The headline? "Company Shops Market shutting down Sunday." It's a damn shame. Here's how the story on the Burlington Times-News website reads so far. It's a breaking news item and I expect … Continue reading Unlucky seven: The demise of Company Shops Co-op
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
Fear of Alzheimer’s and having an important conversation
We don't always watch TV together at our house anymore. New technology probably made this inevitable. We had only one TV in our house for the first dozen years of our married life. That was by design. We figured with just one TV we would have to share more and talk more. It was, and … Continue reading Fear of Alzheimer’s and having an important conversation
Updated with fall schedule: A source of Inspiration at Elon
UPDATE: Earlier this year I posted the story below with videos about a wonderful program on Thursday mornings at Elon. The fall schedule is now underway for the Thursday Inspirations at Numen Lumen Pavilion. The theme this year is "Authentic Identities." Thursday Sept. 6 in the Numen Lumen Sacred Space Dr. Alan Russell, associate professor … Continue reading Updated with fall schedule: A source of Inspiration at Elon
The billions of thank yous I owe Mom
This is a column I wrote in 1997 with the Jacksonville Daily News -- published on Mother's Day, May 11. I'm still thanking my Mom, by the way. ---------------------------------------- My mother was a journalist. She was apparently pretty good at it too. At least the North Carolina Press Association thought so. They gave her an … Continue reading The billions of thank yous I owe Mom
Madison's Avenue 