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Beau Wann, Jr.

    Also too, Richard was so proud of the fact that when he got out of the service and commenced to making a living, he did it all self employed, never taking a pay check from any company till the day he retired.  He was so witty and funny and always a pleasure to talk to. I think about him lots, and miss him as I do others.  I can still see his smile...

Beau Wann, Jr.

     It's me again Margaret ! ! !   Just checking in.   Nothing much to report from up here in the Chalps.  All's quiet on the western front...and if you ask me, it's too quiet.  No cattle stampedes, well I did hear of one in Waller county of 150 head bustin loose, and thankfully I wasnt a part of that riotous bevy of bovines.

        Had 2 and a half inches of rain last week, most we've had all at one time in a couple of years.   Enough to fill up New Years creek just up the road and Woodford Creek.  Our pitiful creek is so grown over, if it had water in it you couldnt see it.

    This might be my last post !   I am moving my broadcasting headquarters to another location, across the vestibule into the green room.  I say it might be my last, cause I'm unplugging my computer and relocating and rehooking it up again, and the old adage applys here, several old adages in fact, "if it aint broke, dont fix it" and the ever present "Murphys Law",  "if anything can go wrong, it will".  

     I'm moving because I want to give Diane more room on the desk we've been sharing for 6+ years.  She does the books, taxes, bills and her "club" work and seeing as how she is "Madame President" of her teachers professional organization, she needs to be able to spread out, and me being on the same desk is preventing that, sooooo, I will head on over to the green room. 

    The garden is just sitting there, corn is growing taller, and some of it is growing horizontal as that last storm that blew through blew some of the corn over.  Onions, red and yellow, seem rather puny, and we planted 160 of them.  Squash, both yellow and butternut are blooming profusely,  black diamond watermellon is puny, no beans yet, and the crows stole the sunflower seeds, the blagart pirates.

       I've forgotten what else we've planted, no matter, it isnt grwoing.  Tomatos are doing fine except the "Goliath Bush",  all it produces are rotten tomatoes.   Had just a couple of banana peppers, one giant mariconi pepper (red sweet pepper), one bell pepper,  no jalopenas.  Something has attacked the rosemary, and the spearmint.  I may have to put in for government assistance.  Well, why not, everyone else does.

    Speaking of which, has anyone gotten their "stimulus" checks?   I know a family that lives in Russia with dual citizen ship,  that all g ot their checks a month ago, mother father and daughter and son.  I kid you not ! We havent received ours yet, or at least we didnt know that we had received it, in the form of a debit card !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????   Yup,  you heard right, a DEBIT CARD !   I cut ours up by order of my wife !   We thought it was a scam!    Instead it was a sham !

    We had no idea they were doing that, and acording to them, they sent out the cards, and were going to follow up with a letter of explanation 3 weeks later.   Wonder what moron decided to do it that way.  The idea of sending out debit cards is actually a good idea, but a prior explanation would have been good.   With debit cards, the money would have gotten back in the system along with taxes etc.

    Diane called the IRS to see if we could get a replacement, and we can !   They set up a group just for that purpose, expecting folks would throw the cards away.   I guess doing it the wrong way enabled the gov to set up yet another, bureaucracy within a bureaucracy, and spend more money that they dont have....we dont have...

    Well, like I said, this will be a short note to let you knwo nothing is happening up heah in the chappellrondacks.  When have I ever done anything short, eh?  

Ok, time to deplane, keep the sun at your six, a mask on your face and at least a half mile distance from your neighbor, and wash your hands Roger....and ..... "ride boldly ride..." 
your frien and resident social green bean,      Cephus R not a farmer, esq   

Scotty Croom

when i read posts about richard mac,,,i remember his story about being wounded...fear of infection  brought him to hosp, ship in danang harbor..then transfer to okinawa hosp...they pumped him w/antibios and he slept for couple of days..when he finally  woke,he yelled for pain meds..as he finally woke up enough to be back to reality,to his surprise, a corpman appeared...and guess who --walter malek...he yelled help , they are trying to kill me...

Beau Wann, Jr.

   Hey Scotty, fun times those were eh ! ! !  Hope youse youtes are well, we are well as well, and that's swell, do tell, down in the dell...

      Houston, we have docked Dragon with ISS !   Isnt that something, watched the launch and recovery of the first stage rocket on a barge and the docking of Dragon with the ISS 19 hours later, AND moved my headquarters across the vestibule, HA, bet you didnt think I could do it didja?   Oh ye of little faith,  That'd make two of us ! ! !

     CHIMACS (Chappell Hill Intergalactically Meteorlogical and Cornpone Society) recorded 103 today with a heat index of 119,  dang that's dang hot dang !   Got the hill mowed yesterday in just under 1 and 1/2 hours, dude, I was flying. Bout broke my back too hitting all the cracks and holes, but I gotter done! 

    Not much else to report, all's quiet on the western front and across the Brazos River, for now.  No rain as of yet. Guess we're back in drought mode.   I did make some beef soup/stew minus the potatoes.   Got two kinds of beans, peas, carrots, celery, onions, pearl onions, mushrooms, peppers, crushed tomatos and a cup Of barley, oh and a chuck roast, and probably lots of other stuff I've forgotten.   Oh man is it good, we'll be eating on it for a week or so.

    Seems like there was something else I was wanting to discuss...hmmmm, what could it have been?   Oh yeah,  ordered 4 archival cases for my LPs from the container store.  I have almost 400 albums, filled all four of the boxes up, now they're too heavy to lift, for a normal person, but me on the other hand, THE HULK, no probs.   Diane helped me alphabetise them, or really she did mostly, that's one of the things she's good at, organizing my stuff, not hers, just mine.

    I did learn one thing, that in the english language, more words start with M than any other words, and S is second.  My life is complete now knowing that.   Diane says that is one of the things taught in special ed.  I know Mr Ed, and he is special of course..."hows it going willllllburrrrrr...".  Never watched that show, just enough of it flipping by to other shows.

    Guess I'll sing off for now, it is rather late...Keep the sun at your six and "ride boldly ride..."

Your frien and resident distant person, Cephus R sleepy

John Philip Adams

Richard was wounded as he told me, that they were on a rescue mission. A recon team was needing to be extracted. It also must be 'assumed that they were surrounded by the Vietnamese. i have some after action reports, probably should read them closer. 

He was a door gunner. the Recon team must have been on a mountain. he said the chopper was rising up the side of the mountain. as they cleared the edge of the 'cliff' they came under fire. he fired his door gun a Ma deuce, 50 cal. it JAMMED. and as he bent over to pick up his M-16. and came back up; this is when he was shot. The rounds hit him in the arm, his vest, and the other arm. If the 50 had not jameed Richard would not have come back. i did not know about malek or if i did, i had forgotten. was he ragging Malek when he wokd up or waa he just coming up and thought he was sitll in the fight?  

STILL miss McCauley and his equally bad jokes and sense of humor. Great family he raised 

SEMPER FI Richard

Beau Wann, Jr.

     GOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNIN CHAPPELL HILLLLLL...!   CHIMACS recorded 102 yesterday with a heat index of 123, felt like...blah blah blah....it was hot, DANG HOT... Alls quiet on the western front for now!  Too hot to do much  work outside, so guess I'll move stuff around in the house.  Need to put the winter coats and acouterments in Little Misses room, or better known as the Pink Room.   Then I'll take all my pants, which are in my uh, closet/war room and put them in the Guest room, or better known as the Green room.   Then....

     Waiting on the water well people, we've sprung a leak.  The freeze plug/high pressure valve is leaking. It'll be our third in 6 years.  It's built to handle 75psi, and the guage never gets above 60, if that.  Oh well, whatchagonna do, call Ghost busters?   Well, just the well people.  

    Now the "Farm and Ranch" report...Some of the corn is tasseling out, got baby squash and cucumbers settleing in.   Okra?   Puny at best !   I'm mystified by the jalopenos, they look the same as the day we planted them,  puny!   Maters and other peppers are starting to produce more than we can eat in a day, blackberries have put out about 4 or 5 dozen ripe ones with more waiting in the wings, yeaaaaa!    Gonna have a blackberry cobbler by the fourth of July.  

    Hold on, Izzydorable is barking at the door....Ok, I'm back...too  hot for the little darlin,  it's midmornin nap time anyway.

    The cows next door seem to be behaving themselves plus they have company in the form of 3 goats. Last time there were goats, Dixie jumped the fence and commenced to herding them till she wore herself out.  I had to jump the fence and go rescue her.   Now when she sees goats, she'll give em a bark or two then go lay down.  Yup, goat herdin is tiring bidness, especially for a "bird dog".   Maybe she thinks those goats can fly, who knows what goes on in the mind of a dog.

   Guess I'll sing off for now, Oh here's something that's disturbing, they've disbanded the Minneapolis police department !   ??????   I heard that SOCIAL WORKERS will handle all 911 calls.   How do you stop having a police department, especially in a large city as Minneapolis?   Will other big cities do the same, just to appease the anarchists?   NYC without the NYPD?   The break down of law and order in society is generally the beginning of the end for society!     I'd hoped I wouldnt live to see this country destroyed by certain groups of people, but alas....so sad!  

    Well, keep the sun at your six and your six shooter handy,  and "ride boldly ride..."

Your frien and resident Lone Ranger, Cephus R Perplexed esq

Pat Brantley (Ross)

eThank you guys for telling me about a Richard.  He was indeed part of our clinic family.  He went by Mike so I guess his name was Richard Michael.  He did more than stand around the nursing station finding out what supplies each department needed.  He ran errands if no one else was available.  He even pinch hit for nurses if he was needed.  We had four doctors during the day and it was busy.  He was always willing to help and keep people laughing.  
i must be addled because I decided to get out of the house yesterday afternoon.  It was 102 degrees.  I went to Home Depot and came home dripping wet to a house that was 77 degrees because one of the filters had clogged up.  Stupid 74 year old woman climbed the ladder to replace the filter while at home alone.  I could have been the 'help I've fallen and I can't get up' lady.  
my flower garden is doing well Beau.  The herbs on the other side are attracting weeds and critters.  I do know if it's the deer or squirrels who keep chewing on my basil.  The deer have eaten my hibiscus right on the patio!  We aren't supposed to feed the deer but it would be cheaper to buy deer corn.  Then I would have to leave my gates open on both sides.  my dog could care less about deer in the yard.
we are desperate enough for basketball we have started watching reruns of games.  I can only watch so many movies.  I would love to get suggestions for series or movies.  

Beau Wann, Jr.

     "Minneapolis 911, peace and love to you, what's your emergency?"
CALLER:   "The looters, rioters and thugs are trying to break in to my house"!
DISPATCHER:  "Oh ma'am, you just had to start in with the judgemental profiling and hate speech!  How do you know they are trying to break in?"
CALLER:  "Well, they're banging on the front door really hard with something!"
DISPATCHER:  " Well missy, maybe they're just your neighbors knocking real loud checking up on you to see if you're ok!"
CALLER: "Knocking with an axe?"
DISPATCHER:   "Maybe your house is on fire and it's the fire department trying to get in to save you!"
CALLER:  "No, my house is not on fire, and my husband is a firefighter so we're pretty safe in that department."
DISPATCHER: "Well, where is your husband, why isnt he there?"
CALLER:   "Well, it just so happens he's downtown trying to put out the fires that the looters, rioters and thugs, that are banging on my door,  have set."
DISPATCHER:  "There you go again with the judgemental profiling!"
CALLER:  "Are you going to send the police?  Please hurry!"
DISPATCHER:  "Where do you live, Mars?  For your information, Missy,  it was in all the papers and on the talk shows, there is no more gestapo police department, they've been disbanded, we're all on the honor system from now on.  Have you asked the people what they wanted?  Have you told them to quit banging on your door?
CALLER; "Yes, I told them to quit attacking my house and that I have a gun, so if they didnt want to get shot, they better leave."
DISPATCHER: "YOU HAVE A GUN? Oh my, that puts a whole nother light on the subject.  I'll have to send a social worker over to take that GUN away from you before you hurt someone.  Hmmmp, you probably have a Confederate flag hanging in your house, and sing THE EYES OF TEXAS,  and, you're probably a member of the NRA, as well ! assume     Well, if you get attacked, you deserve what you get for being an evil member of the NRA....

      Sad commentary on society today...Saw the Chronicle headlines yesterday, "UT ATHLETES WANT TO BAN THE SINGING OF "THE EYES OF TEXAS"...What has that song to  do with anything?   I'm pretty sure that 99.99% of students dont have a clue of anything, outside of the phone glued to the end of their noses. I say that in all confidence because I was one of those idiots some 60 years ago, not with a phone, but still an idiot that knew nothing of life, real life, and not just GUNSMOKE OR BONANZA.

      I guess next to be banned is "TEXAS OUR TEXAS", The pledge of allegiance, The National Anthem...I could  be wrong, but  I would imagine that a lot of the UT alumni would stop the flow of money to that university should they ban the eyes of texas, and a lot of the UT alum are very wealthy, and I should know, I'm NOT one of them!

    Hey Pat, we dont have problems with deer or rabbits eating our flowers or veggies, except the wascally wabbits like to tease our dogs.  When one actually gets inside the fence around the house, I've never seen 3 animals move as fast as that.   And, the wascally wabbit can make a 90 degree turn at top speed, and then get through the square in the wire fence and disappear, whilst the idgit dogs are wondering what happened to the wascally wabbit?

    Been hot up here in the Chappellrondacks, but a cool front came in at the end of the week and it's been 60 in the early morning AM.  Nice weather for outside stuff, Like sitting on the deck with a cup o joe or two.
Seen a lot of deer on the move lately, guess they're looking for water, or maybe a forest with AC.  Seen a doe or two with newborn fawns, couldnt be moren a couple of days old. 

    There's a herd or two that drifts through downtown Chappell Hill quite often, at least a couple times a week.  Sure beautiful to watch !   Ok, time to deplane, all's well and swell up here, hope all's well and swell where you all are.

   Keep the sun at your six and wash your hands roger and stay at least a half mile away from your neighbor....and ride boldly ride....

Your frien and distant resident person, Cephus R Me esq

Jimmie Lee Smith (Brawner)

My brother and his best friend, Terry Doyle, went to UT and they've already started sending emails to the president of the college.  Supposedly, many, many years ago, a group in "black face" sang The Eyes of Texas and that's the complaint the players have against the song as far as anyone has learned.  If anyone knows another reason, let me know so I can pass it on to my brother and Terry.

Beau Wann, Jr.

     GOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNIN CHAPPELL HILLLLLLLL....How in the whirld are all yall?   Been a long time since I've been on the Forum, at least 24 hours or some.   Went to a 50th birthday party for my youngest yesterday.  It's really strange to be the OLDEST person at a function.  Dont really fit in in any of the conversations, even if I could hear what was being said.  Well, the company, the food and the surroundings were good,  so I'll go with that.

    Today is Kevins actual birthday, and tomorrow is Dianes' 36th anniversary, well mine too I suppose, and then my 75th birthday on Wednesday.  Back during the "wedding" planning, we thought it'd be cool to have the wedding between the two birthdays.  I think it was so I wouldnt forget our anniversary, kinda hard to forget when it's between two birthdays wouldnt you say!  

     Not much happening up here in the Chalps cept the drought and heat, oh and a little beagle named Izzy, baying at every wascally wabbit, real or imagined.  It's not really an obnoxious bay, not like when you step on the cats tail at midnight. Lordamighty that sound will wake you up and keep you awake for hours.  Talk about shock treatment !

     Diane's in Chappell Hill today with the CH Garden Club, decorating the town for the 4th of July parade that's not going to happen.  Yup they've canceled it for this year.  Hmmmm, maybe if things get better, we can have the 4th of July parade in September, eh.  Although the rioters, looters, thugs, socialists and commies will probably have gotten that day banned by our gutless leaders.   Well why not?   Slowly but surely, history is being erased, ie the civil war.  What next, the American revolution ?   Dont get me started....uh oh, too late!

    Got a new coffee pot....new coffee maker.  Always searching for that perfect cup o joe.  Our old coffee maker is about half dozen years old.  As I stored the old one away, it appears we have about a zillion and a half old coffee makers.   I even have a collection of the old metal on the stove burner coffee pots, as well as, the glass see through drip o laters and percolaters etc.

          Even found one that I know everyone has had, "THE POLYPERK".  You remember that one, was hard plastic shaped like a coffee pot of old, but had a detachable electric cord.  I remember we paid 8.95 for it back in the day.  They still sell those, but for how much I dont know.  Every now and again I bring it out and use it as well as most of the other, "on the stove burner" pots.  If you like strong coffee, those are great.

      I DO NOT LIKE the european method of making coffee, tastes like burnt rubber.  First time I had it that way was back in the late 70s. I was visiting someone in Hearne? or somewhere in Texas, I remember I was in my 78 thunderbird, just got it, so it must have been 78....gosh doesnt my brilliant reasoning just dazzel ya? Anyway, the folks I visited seved coffee with the press method. It was horrible, thought I was gonna die!

     As you can tell, I survived that miscarriage of coffee making only to go on to regale folks on this website with wisdom and wit.   See what that miserable coffee did?   Yeah, you can blame it instead of the writer, er typer.  Hey I know, I'm a TYPO, no,  a TYPOCHONDREAC, yeah, that's the ticket, ha so there,  all you psychos and krazoids.  I say that in all love and respect, that is until they ban the 40s and 50s. "Nope, those years never happened, so get over it"...

     Ok, time to deplane and stop all this nonsense...Keep the sun at your six, and "ride boldly ride..."
Your frien and resident never happened person, Cephus R inviskable esq

Post script:  Even though I enjoyed my sons birthday party yesterday, I remember all of you good folks that have lost children,  you are always in my thoughts and prayers....always !

Jerry Eppner

Jimmie, the Houston Chronicle coverage of the issue said "the eyes of Texas are upon you"  was a play on words of a quote by Robert E Lee, "the eyes of the South are upon you".  Not sure that is a good enough reason to drop the song, but that is the national sentiment right now.

Johnny Sheffield

If they drop the eyes of Texas song,they will loose billions 

Of dollars from alumni supporters. I don't thank that will happen. 
johnny

Jan Barnes '65 (Nimtz)

Many thanks for the "post script" to your recent Forum post, Beau. It means a lot to me that you remember those of us who have lost children. Ed & I still miss our son terribly, and for his son & daughter, Father's Day will never be quite the same.
 

William "Butch" Ginder

SO LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT WE ARE GETTING RID OF THE EYES OF TEXAS BECAUSE ROBERT E LEE MAY HAVE SAID SOMETHING SIMILAR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO AND NOW WE ARE AFFENDED BY SOME SIMULANCE TO THE WORDS HE SPOKE.  REALLY. MY MOTHER WENT TO TEXAS AND IM SURE SHE WILL ROLL OVER IN HER GRAVE OVER THIS. 

I SAW WHERE THEY PULLED UP ANOTHER MONUMENT IN HOUSTON TODAY.  THEY WILL BE PULLING UP GRAVE STONES OF CONFEDERATE SOILDERS NEXT.HOW FAR ARE THEY GOING TO GO TO DELETE OUR HISTORY. FOR ME IM SICK OF IT IN CASE YALL HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT.

Beau Wann, Jr.

    AMEN BROTHER BUTCH, AMEN...Wont be long, and they'll delete it from the history books.  I even heard they, someone, defaced the tomb of the unkown soldier....!!!!????   Yeah, that's the ticket, he was probably a racist and his family owned slaves.   I dont know, but dont think anyone of my ancesters owned any slaves, dont think anyone had enough money to buy anything, however my ancesters fought on BOTH SIDES of every war this country has been in since the revolution.   COME GET ME ! ! ! !    I'm going to change my name to ROBERT E LEE WANN, yeah, that's the ticket.

    What a day !   Suppose to be my 75th birthday, a take it easy day.  Yeah right ! ! !  I dont recollect taking it easy no matter whose birthday it was.    Gave all three dogs a bath, well , helped Diane give em a bath.   Jack and Dixie-Bell did ok, didnt like water being poured over em, but tolerated it, Izzy-dorable didnt like it atall.   Took both of us to hold her and I'm not sure who got wetter, us or her.  The white on her is a lot whiter now. Can I say White?   She likes to slide through the mud on her belly.

    Among all my other duties and work program, I helped the sherriff round up a herd of goats that almost got out on 290.  They belong to my neighbor.  Dang if he aint always got something stampeding and running amok.  Goats at least stay together in a group, but getting the group to go where you want them to is another matter all together.  But gotter done just about dark thirty.  And that's another thing, why do they wait till late afternoon to run amok?

   Richard and Paige Meek brought a cornbread cake for my birthday yesterday, and what a fine cake of cornbread it was too.  Arn skillet cornbread about 5 inches deep,  drippin with butter...yum.  Plus Paige made a bean and beef concoction to pour over said cornbread, double yum.  I supplied the jalopenos.  Bein as how cornbread is a southn dish, can I say cornbread?

   Tomorrow, Friday and Saturday are going to be very busy. Got mowing to do and weedeating, moving some grape vines and planting roses in their place, and got a  couple more mater plants to put in the groung, and the coup de gras,   cleaning dog nose art off the winderlights  (east Texas for window).   Gee, can I say Texas?   If they make the horns give up  singing the "Eyes of Texas", I think the Aggies have to give up something too....I know,    the corps senior boots, yeah, that's the ticket...

    Ok, time to deplane before I get into real trouble if I aint in it already.
Keep the sun at your six, and "ride boldly ride..."
your frien and resident nobody,  Cephus R inviskable esq

Scotty Croom

happy birthday,beau... been out of loop for a while..got new computer and printer..had to call geek squad to help me   ...still waiting for tx. to open  nursing homes.not for me,teddy..prevents us from seeing mother..hope it happens soon...good dr. report via phone...need some vitamin d....all other labs good....

Bennie Schielack

Aunt Jemima, gone.  Uncle Ben's, gone.  (Will my nephews and nieces still be able to call me Uncle Ben?)  Rice Krispies needs to do something about 3 white characters as their representatives. 

Will Cracker Barrel be forced to change their name?  Will Cracker Jacks have to follow suit?

First Amendment is being shredded daily . . . . . We, as a nation, are in serious trouble . . . . .

Beau, Happy BD.  I turned 74 Monday.  I feel every year each AM, but once I get stretched out on the golf course, I feel much better.  I play with a group of other seniors, a 90 year old dentist, 85 year old MD, 80 year old extension agent, 77 year old insurance agent, and me. We play a scramble and today we birdied the first 3 holes and I managed to make Eagle on 4 (a par 5).  These guys always make me feel like a youngster.  I'm always energized after play, grab a bite to eat and get after all of the chores I've put off to "play".  Mowed the grass, edged two driveways and three walkways and weed eated the ditch before golf, golf, bad experience at Whataburger, paint trim in the rent house, sand some trim, work on sprinkler system for new flower bed and 4 additional beds, watered potted plants, cut some limbs off of a Crepe Myrtle.  I'm finding old age is not for the faint of heart.  

Stan Wright

I have read with interest some of the postings of late. It's an interesting time in which we find ourselves. It is our generation`s first experience with a pandemic, if you discount the polio epidemic of the 50's. I remember then when Mom wouldn't allow me to play with friends from noon to 3 because during the summer she believed those times were the most vulnerable for contracting the disease. Here we are with social distancing, schools closed, people working from home, many restaurants shuttered and thoughtful people wearing masks in public. It's a challenging time to seek safety. It's a challenging time to act wisely.

And then in the midst of that we are confronted with marches, demonstrations deploring acts of racism. There are calls for the taking down of monuments associated with the Civil War, the renaming of products like "Uncle Ben's" and "Aunt Jemima". It's a time of pandemic and social unrest. And our postings reflect this.

It would be interesting if we could be helped in sorting out the latter by hearing from our African American alumni as to their feelings about all this. But of course, we can't. We had no Black fellow students. We had no Black teachers or coaches. Only custodians. And who can remember their names. I had no friends of color and only one Hispanic whom I met in college. I would be ignorant if hadn't eventually served as a hospital chaplain. There I visited with Blacks, Indians, Hispanics and Asians. It was on one such visit that I met Mr. Muse. A Black man who had served in Europe during WWII. He was dying of leukemia and required daily blood transfusions. He and his name are etched in my memory because of his color and because of the "musings" he shared with me. He was the first person I had the courage to ask, "What was it like to grow up as a black man here in San Antonio? " I wish I could tell you all that I heard over a number of visits. He revealed hurts without the slightest bit of anger. Like when he returned from the war and his white veteran friends received government backed loans to buy homes. He said no bank would make a loan to him. Not even the bank president that used his catering service. He told me how all the good hospitals in town were segregated and white. The hospital in which I met him was the first hospital in town to allow black patients. And that was only one room which was donated by a black businessman in the 60's when the hospital was built. He told me things which I never would have known unless I had been willing to listen.

It has occurred to me that I spent much of my life willfully ignorant. I dared not ask people on the fringes of society, people different from me, "What has your life been like?"

I wish I could ask Mr. Muse, "Sir, what do you think of Confederate statues"? Or "Uncle Ben"? Or "Aunt Jemima"?

I would listen.

Susan (Suzi) Smith '66 (McMillian)

Stan, thank you for such a thoughtful and timely post.  These are difficult times, for sure,  but could be such a time of growth if we could just listen.  I have reached out to black friends to do just that;to ask some of the hard questions and listen to the responses.  Our three children went to Waltrip, graduating in 1984, 1987, and 1988. In 1983, when our oldest was a senior and a cheerleader, Waltrip beat Booker T. Washington in football for the first time.  The students streamed onto,the field in celebration, and the stands erupted in chaotic pride.  Our younger children were in the stands with us, and in their excitement, were trying to figure how long our losing streak had been.  "When did Waltrip open", one asked.  And I found myself explaining that Waltrip did not play Washington during our years there.  "But, it is the closest school" they puzzled.  "Separate, but equal" the catchphrase of those times became impossible to defend.  

Some of the current actions may seem inane on their face, but we are not qualified to judge.  Is it such a lot to surrender to ease some pain? Keep asking questions and listening to answers without defensiveness and maybe we will emerge a better society.  

Patty Payne (Nami)

Patty Payne (Nami)

Frank Lynn

Stan, your post was very thoughtful and well written. Miss Parrot would have been proud. Our generation in many ways, did grow up in a bubble.  Now we must face the injustices and social issues that should have been addressed long ago but were not. It is a very complex issue with no easy answers. Recently, an article by a black writer said we cannot destroy or the ignore the art and literature of the past such as statues to confederate generals and movies such as “Gone With the Wind”. It is our history but we need to deal with the issues in a compassionate way. For example, he suggested a disclosure preceding screening of “Gone with the Wind” stating the film depicts a way of life almost two-hundred years ago that does not reflect the mores and attitudes of current society.  Maybe offending statues could be put in a statue park that reflects history but does not glorify the individual. Back in the 1990s, just after the fall of the Soviet Union, I worked in Bulgaria. The statues honoring the events and individuals of the communist error were moved to a park. People could see them, but they were not displayed in prominent locations.

Jerry Eppner

Well said Frank, Stan and Suzi.  It is a complicated issue.  There have been times over the last few years when statue removal, etc has come up and I had to wonder what difference does it make.  But I always come back to the truth that that is a white man's thought process.  What if I was black?  Would I feel differently?  Almost certainly! The truth is our class like many in our generation grew up in a segregated world.  No black classmates.  No black teachers.  Whites only drinking fountains and restrooms in retail stores and public places.  It had to form a lasting impression on our psyche.  Some of us have been fortunate to be exposed to the black culture later in life and to appreciate that we are all the same, some of us just have a different skin tone.  I was lucky to work with a number of black people during my career at Dow.  I never saw them as black or white, just colleagues.  My wife and I have a few black friends that we cherish.  But there is sitll that lingering influence of our formative years.  I was really surprised to learn that there is an effort underway to have deeds for property in Oak Forestthat were written in the 50's and early 60"s rewritten to remove deed restrictions that state "occupancy by whites only".  Yes, that discrimination was banned decades ago, but there are still remnants of that era around us.  It is a time that for many of us is in the past, but for many people today, particularily our black cititens, it is still a time that they have to deal with.  

I just hope and pray that we can all move forward and look forward to the date where everyone feels equal.

Teddie Jordan

My favorite song we would sing in my early Sunday school days at Oaks Presbyterian Church was "Jesus loves the little children, all of the children of the world, Red and Yellow, Black and White, All are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world"!
 

Teddie Jordan

Another image that I truly agree with.