I entered first grade in the fall of 1959, attending the old school on Junkin Street (directly across the street from my grandmother’s house) and graduated from the beautiful old school on the hill – Christiansburg High – in 1971. A quick check of Wikipedia shows that in the 1950 census, Christiansburg had 1,970 residents,…
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Christmas Music (Nat King Cole and Bing, but no Little Drummer Boy)
Every self-respecting (or aspiring in my case) columnist needs to write a piece about Christmas music at some point. I believe I have touched on the subject before, but this one is full bore, an all-out tribute, or assault, depending on the song and the artist and the circumstance. First, there are a few basic…
Bowl Game Memories (or, Of Roses, Peaches and a Tangerine Too)
I am a frustrated sports writer. My first ambition was to become the next Dan Jenkins, an iconic Sports Illustrated writer who covered college football and professional golf for SI for a quarter century. Dan also wrote about a dozen raunchy and irreverent sports novels, the best known of which is Semi-Tough, published while I…
My Law Partner Bob (Citizen, Marathoner, Mountain Climber)
November 29, 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of Bob Steptoe’s arrival at Steptoe & Johnson. Actually, there is a little controversy surrounding the date. In checking firm records, Bob’s official start is listed as November 29, 1971. But in discussing this matter with him, Bob disclosed that his actual first day of work was 2…
Mutt Byrd (Atomic Bomb, Cantaloupe Life-savers and Caring)
The Christiansburg of my youth was full of good people and interesting characters who left me with great memories, a good perspective on life, and great subjects to write about. I challenge anyone out there who could have outdone my hometown for nice folks who helped their kids grow up right. One of Christiansburg’s true…
Quarantining with Scarlett
I am writing this column during quarantine because of Covid. Yes, I became a member of the way too large club of those who have caught the virus. Like some long ago comedian said, Groucho Marx I think, I would never want to join any club that would have me as a member. Well I…
The Cat’s Meow (Guest Columnist)
Well I’m back as special guest columnist. Yes, it’s Scarlett, the Cat. I’m not sure why I use that as my pseudonym. You take one look at me and you know I’m a cat. But given the circumstances under which I was born and raised, I’m not really certain of my last name so I…
The Christmas Orange
I was in the grocery store the other day doing a little Christmas stocking up. I spied an item that must be seasonal – a bag of spectacularly colored apples – reds and greens – and brilliant oranges. I wasn’t used to seeing them packaged that way and I had to buy them. If nothing…
Memories of Autumn Saturdays
I am writing this column very early on a chilly Saturday morning in early fall. It is that wonderful time of the year when the seasons change and the heat of summer is giving way to crisp autumn weather. Having lived most of my life in the mountains, or close by, I have had the…
Serious as a Heart Attack
(August 8 was the 3rd anniversary of my heart attack and August 10 was the 3rd anniversary of my triple bypass, performed by the wonderful and skilled heart group at WVU Hospital. The following is one of the columns I wrote back then to memorialize the experiences.) As I had warned, I don’t want to…
Bud-Hoo 