TEN THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME, and may not want to know…
1. I received my first haircut at the Tennessee State Prison when I was about 1 year old. My granddad worked for the State, and was working there at the time. I don’t know for certain, but he painted signs for the Department of Transportation, so that was probably his connection. He was a big political supporter of Governor Frank G. Clement.
2. I sat in the Governor’s chair a couple of times when my granddad visited him at the State Capitol building. The Governor smoked a cigar and always rubbed my head—that I do remember.
3. I lassoed a steer on Charlotte Avenue (Nashville) from the utility bed of my dad’s Chevy pickup when I was sixteen. The steer had broken loose from a stall and was being chased by neighbors and a motorcycle patrolman. That is as close as I ever came to being Roy Rogers riding on Trigger.
4. Speaking of Roy Rogers, I had a very delightful chat with Dale Evans shortly after his death, and not long before hers. She was in a wheel chair, and we stood next to Nellie Belle and Buttermilk at the Roy Rogers Museum in Victorville, CA. One of my favorite and long remembered readings was Dale’s inspiring & true story about their daughter, Robyn in Angel Unaware, which was our primary conversation. My sister-in-law gave me one of my most cherished Christmas presents: A genuine Roy Rogers Pocket Knife. It is used annually to open Christmas presents. It is like Roy: sharp and ready for action.
5. In my Little League days, my granddad carried me to the old “Sulphur Dell” to watch “Bullet Bob” Feller in a pitching demonstration. Feller was known for his 100 mph fastball. He signed autographs and posed with several of us Little Leaguers in a photo taken by a Nashville Banner photographer. I told him I was left-handed like Herb Score (his teammate with the Cleveland Indians).
6. I was a sophomore at David Lipscomb High School on October 22, 1962 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I worked with the Audio-Video equipment, and was setting up a classroom TV when the President was shot. [I had a reputation as a jester.] I raced to the HS cafeteria to tell my teacher: I was scolded for such reckless talk, and had to convince the teachers I was not joking. [Luckily, my reputation for lying was not the same as for jesting.] The entire school was assembled in Acuff Chapel for Mr. Daniel to make the announcement. Note: DLHS “Pony Express” staff went to press with a special edition. That paper is in the Kennedy Library as the only high school in the nation to put out a special edition. Our Cross Country team traveled to Oak Ridge, TN that afternoon and we stopped in Lebanon, Cookeville and Crossville to get copies of local newspapers. It was the most somber trip I ever made.
7. In 1962, I went as the guest of Josh Grider (Tennessee A&I University, Harlem Globetrotters, and Harlem Magicians), to see the Harlem Globetrotters perform in Nashville’s new Municipal Auditorium. I got to meet Goose Tatum, Marques Haynes, Meadowlark Lemon, and Fred “Curly” Neal. Mr. Grider was my favorite customer at Bill Black’s Esso (Dickerson Rd @ Trinity Lane). I didn’t know who he was at the time, but he overheard me telling fellow workers how much I wished I could go see the Globetrotters. Over the years, I have witnessed and met Coaches “Big John” Merritt and Ed Temple, and several of their great athletes from TSU: Ed “too tall” Jones, Wilma Rudolph, Wyoma Tyus, and Edith McGuire (three of the “Tigerbelles”).
8. My USAF commander was Major General Chuck Yeagar (then a full bird Colonel and Brig. General) with the 4th TAC Fighter Wing in Goldsboro, NC. We were the Air Wing that President Johnson sent to South Korea when the North Koreans captured the USS Pueblo in January, 1968. It was the coldest I have ever been. Imagine living in tents in 24 below weather. The wind-chill factor was 84 below coming off the Sea of Japan. Do you recognize the name “Chuck Yeagar?” I knew none of this at the time: he was the X-15 pilot to first break the sound barrier. You are probably aware of “The Right Stuff” movie. I had three personal encounters with then Colonel Yeagar that allowed me to see a great patriot, explorer, war hero, and a class “A” man. It was a privilege to serve my Country under this great man.
9. In 1994, I got to know Major General Hugh B. Mott while working with a small congregation in East Nashville. It was evident from the start that he was a natural leader: I learned he had been the Nashville Police Chief, and he knew everyone in our local government. I later learned he was the 1st Lieutenant who led the charge across the Ludendorff bridge at Remagen, Germany and defused the explosives—preventing the Germans from destroying the final bridge across the Rhine river. All this was under intense German sniper fire. He received the Distinguished Service Cross and is honored among the Legion of Valor. General Mott continued to serve his Country and the state of Tennessee as Adjutant General of the Tennessee National Guard. He embodied the man who loved God and Country. We owe our freedom to such men of valor. The new National Guard Headquarters building on Armory Drive bears his name.
10. I am writing a series of letters to my six grandsons about becoming men of God who love family, Country, truth and fairness. I may never face the enemy in battle, but each day I see him marching against those things we hold dear. I remember when Kruechev declared that the Solviet Union (Communism) “would take America without firing a shot.” I have never taken those as idle words. I see more concern for “acid rain” than for the “acidic immorality” that is destroying the fibers of freedom in this great land. Too many appear satisfied to live in mediocrity rather than seek liberty.
I have determined that my greatest accomplishment shall not be found on a monument, but in the hearts and lives of nine grandchildren bearing that flag of freedom and the blessings of God. God Bless America and those who make a difference.
Joining the fun about ten things you may not know of my past at http://activerain.com/blogsview/3803720/contest-what-we-have-in-common-getting-to-know-each-other-better
Comments (2)Subscribe to CommentsComment