There is always another story associated with those I have been sharing since May 2015, as Stories of the Month, and in books about a wonderful life. I call related memories Side Stories. This is a side story of an event presented in my second book, Forks in the Road, about some episodes from my […]
He Went “Bye-Bye”
He Went “Bye-Bye” On a bright day in October 2006, I attended the funeral of Walter Lee Lewis in Columbia, SC. We had been friends since we both wore diapers. His entire family was like an extension of ours, in those days when all adults acted as surrogate parents. If I had kept records, they would […]
Daddy
This story first appeared my first book, Halfway Home from Kinderlou. After reminiscing about my daddy last week, I decided to again share him with you. Daddy The word father describes a man who has begotten a child. Depending on the physical factors between a man and a woman, she can become pregnant between heartbeats. A man’s […]
A Promise Fulfilled
A Promise Fulfilled On June 23, 2017, I attended the funeral of my friend in Rogersville, Tennessee. Our friendship dated back to 1959. He was a decorated WW II combat veteran, with a designated grave in Arlington National Cemetery. In 2002, he changed his mind about his burial site, choosing instead to be buried in […]
Get Your Reward — “Way Over Yonder”
Last month I promised to share two stories about my grandfather, the most influential man in my life. I introduced him in the story titled, He Knew Everything About Everything. This is the second offering of the man I called Papa. Both stories were presented in my first book, Halfway Home from Kinderlou. Get Your Reward — […]
He Knew Everything
For the past few months I have been celebrating the lives and contributions of those elders in Valdosta who guided me to this day. George Uskin Alexander was my grandfather. It was his influence that I will share over the next two months. Both stories were presented in my first book, Half Way Home From […]
Five and Who Comes & Sometimes Phonetics are Messy
It is a four-hour drive from my present home in South Carolina, to my hometown of Valdosta, Georgia. My quarterly visit ‘back home’ has become routine. Nobody cooks grits like my sister Odessa. On the last visit, after a breakfast of her signature grits, biscuits and eggs cooked to the right texture, we went roaming […]
The Inspector
The Inspector In 1957 I was a Senior Air Force Medical and Surgical Technician at Lackland Air Force Base. That is the year the Air Force dedicated Wilford Hall Medical Facility, the newest “crown jewel “military medical hospital. The nine-story building was quickly dubbed, “Big Willie.” A couple of months before the opening there was […]
The Ethics of the Country Road
The Ethics of the Country Road In the summer of 1996, I was tired of shuttling between law offices in Pasadena and Beverly Hills, California, along asphalt corridors called freeways. I went home to visit my mother in Valdosta, Georgia. One day, I decided to take a drive and retrace some of my tracks from childhood […]
Some Days are Worth Remembering
Some Days are Worth Remembering On that cold winter day in 1971, I was travelling south along I-25 from Cheyenne, Wyoming. The snowflakes were so prolific that all defrosters and wipers could not adequately clear the windshield. I exited for a shortcut to my new home in Boulder, Colorado. The map directions were clear, but […]
Santa Wore A Cowboy Hat
This story was first presented as the Story of the Month in December 2015 It is repeated during this season by special requests. Santa Wore A Cowboy Hat After waiting in line for almost a half hour, I was still at least a dozen positions from the airline counter. It was two days before Christmas in […]
Pair of Aces
This story was originally published in my second book, Forks in the Road. Because of this month salute to veterans, I reflected on one episode at the beginning of my twenty-year career in the United States Air Force. It began on June 22, 1951, three days short of the first anniversary of the Korean War. […]
Gateway Incidents
Gateway Incidents Sometimes there are happenings in one’s life that can trigger emotional or behavioral changes that direct the remainder of life. I call these episodes, Gateway Incidents. This month, I combine two stories that appeared in earlier published books. In Half Way Home from Kinderlou, I offered the story, “It’s About a Horse.” In […]
The Long Shot
The Long Shot I came across the bridge on the South Georgia highway—at a speed greater than the sign allowed. Two of us understood that. I attempted to slow down, but the other person wanted to talk. There are a few unwanted sights that we occasionally see; hardly any as unsettling at the blue lights […]
Ass Chewing
This is another story from my days in the U. S. Air Force. Ass Chewing Violations of military customs and courtesies invite minor or major rebukes, depending on the person or custom ignored. Serious transgressions are examined in courts-martials. Somewhere between these extremes are ‘screw-ups’ that are often addressed and punished by supervisors, generally non-commissioned officers. […]
Snow Cones and Pot-likker | Mutual Promises
This month I share two more stories that appeared in my third book, I Wish You Had Been There. Snow Cones and Pot-likker (Valdosta, Georgia, circa 1940) Three or four months before we slaughtered the hogs for hams, chops, bacon, and chitterlings, Daddy supplemented their diet with store-bought feeds. Those rations contained minerals and other growth-enhancing […]
Hello Honey & Wash Day
At a recent book signing I was asked about some stories that appeared in my third book, I Wish You Had Been There, buthad not been presented as a Story of the Month. So, over the next few months I will share some of those stories. Two stories. Hello Honey She comes to me by […]
Be on Time… For Communion
Every time I return to Valdosta, and especially into the neighborhood of my childhood, so many memories clearly rewind, unfiltered by the opaqueness of time. Last Saturday I visited St. Timothy A.M.E Church. Before the service began I walked into a room near the pulpit. I opened a cabinet and lifted the silver top from […]
The Pie Maker
The Pie Maker During a Summer vacation in the 1970’s, I visited Katherine, my mother, in Valdosta. For most of the flight home I planned how I would pick blackberries from a cluster of brambles that have flourished since my childhood. Then, I would ask Katherine to make a blackberry pie. In exchange, I would organize […]
The Alert
The Alert In the 1930’s and 40’s before most of us could afford electricity in my neighborhood, only three families had telephones. So, in addition to the usual channels for gossip, we also developed a community-wide system to alert the neighborhood when a family was in peril or pain. Regardless of the time of day, […]
Who Will Tell the Story
This story is released earlier, because it was timely told in this month of January. Who Will Tell the Story? The task fell to me … Since age four I wanted to go to school. On an August day in 1939, at age five years 3 months, I ran away from home and followed my […]
Another Orientation
Back story to last month’s story. To write the December 2017 Story of the Month, A Fighting Machine Marked Surplus, I was assisted by a very special lady. Mrs. Pamela Murphy just seemed to be omnipresent at the Veteran’s Hospital in Sepulveda, CA. She was mostly seen walking the hallways with a clipboard and an […]
A Fighting Machine Marked Surplus
Each of us has wondered whatever happened to someone who shared our time, if only for a brief spell before moving on. After wearing the Air Force uniform for two decades I feel a kinship with anyone who proudly wore a military uniform, of any service, for whatever period. And so, I sometimes wonder whatever […]
He Knew Everything About Everything
[A version of this story appears in my first book, Half Way Home From Kinderlou. I edited it for presentation again now.] He Knew Everything About Everything My grandfather knew everything about everything. I called him Papa. His knowledge seemed to flow so smoothly and with confidence from his experiences and from a vast library […]
Mister Buster & The Farmer
So much of my “schooling” was presented by people whose formal education often did not exceed grammar school. For instance, when my daddy’s father became disabled, my daddy had to leave school to help take care of his family. He had only completed the second grade. ** This month I celebrate two men whose words […]
Mister Dye
This delayed offering was caused as I evacuated my home in South Carolina, expecting the wrath of hurricane Irma. Fortunately, she did not come. My prayers for those she visited. In my first book, Half Way Home from Kinderlou, I introduced four men from my childhood in a tetralogy titled: A Little Help from Monday Through […]
Mr. Holly & Mr. Eli
You might have noticed a pattern in my stories. Every time I visit my hometown, Valdosta, Georgia, some sights and things evoke special memories. During a visit last month I approached the old Shell gas station and stopped for a while. I deliberately walked down a special street, just in case another man might be waiting […]
An Elder Among Us
I am slowly recovering from an almost two month bout with shingles. Ironically, the person who helped me cope with the misery was the first man I treated with this affliction. I was a 17 year old medic at the Lackland Air Force Base Hospital. He taught me some lessons that have served me to […]
The Community Compact
The Community Compact During my childhood in Valdosta in the 1930s, there was a community compact that conferred parental surrogacy to every adult to protect the safety and welfare of every child. It also authorized every adult who wore a belt or who could handle a switch to issue corporal punishment to any child to discourage […]
Does a James Edward Live Here?
During a recent drive along country roads in South Georgia I reminisced about a tradition during my childhood that might have faded. Before the roads were paved there were fewer visitors at homes along the dusty trails, but at each home there was something to quench the thirst or sooth the palate of a traveler […]
He Sang from the Heart & Mister Ben Went for a Walk
This is the third promised offering about some men who, during my childhood, helped to shape my notions of self-sufficiency, deep affection, spiritual dedication and humility. Both stories appeared separately in my book, I Wish You Had Been There, but are combined here because of the relationships of time, location and personalities. He Sang from […]
Know Your Place
Another in the series of tributes to some men whose style helped to shape my notions of self-sufficiency, deep affection, spiritual dedication and humility. Know Your Place My place was wherever my elders asked me to be. On that Sunday morning when Mister Harold asked me to come and sit for a spell, it did […]
Howdy Mister Harp
Whenever I visit my hometown, Valdosta, Georgia, there always seems to be something that triggers memories of people who guided my early years. During a recent visit I remembered some men whose style helped to shape my notions of self-sufficiency, deep affection, spiritual dedication and humility. Over the next three months I will profile some […]
Listen But Shut Up
The following story first appeared in my third book, I Wish You Had Been There. It is presented here following a conversation with a friend about our grandmothers. Listen But Shut Up When the old ladies assembled I was the only child allowed to sit and listen to their discussions. I did not know why, […]
Right of Way to Graduation
The following story first appeared in my second book, Forks in the Road. It is repeated here with an update. For those who have not read Forks in the Road, the following are explanatory notes: DINFOS — The Defense Information School, then located at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. Colonel John J. Christy, DINFOS Commandant. Right […]
The Latin Teacher
The Latin Teacher George U. Alexander was a man who had clear objectives and the vision and methods to achieve them. In 1889 his objective was to marry Maria Gaines, which he accomplished on Christmas day in Lowndes County, Valdosta Georgia. They were my grandparents. I called him Papa. For most of his 76 years Papa was […]
The Funeral
During a recent visit to my childhood hometown, Valdosta Georgia, I drove through some old neighborhoods that spawned so many fond memories, including this one of a special day during my fifteenth year. The Funeral During my childhood in Valdosta, funerals were routinely scheduled at churches on Sunday afternoon almost immediately following the morning services. […]
Silent Authority
Silent Authority Authority is the power one exercises to direct or encourage the actions of another. This ability to command can be conferred by statute, custom, tradition, or usurped and enforced by a greater power. Authority also flows from respect and trust, like that earned by my Uncle Maud. Even when his older brothers and sisters […]
The Sounds and the Music
The Sounds and the Music On Monday my mother walked more than two miles to work. On Tuesday it rained, so Miss Virginia, my mother’s employer, gave my mother a ride home. When the car stopped at our door I rushed to greet both ladies; to welcome my mother, and to answer Miss Virginia’s questions. Her […]
The Boss Man
The Boss Man Military service members are generally addressed by their rank and name. During my 20 years of active duty I was often addressed as Mr. Alexander, rather than Sergeant Alexander. But the most unusual address I heard was applied to a lieutenant colonel at Dow AFB. His troops called him “Boss Man.” One day in […]
Gussie
Many of you never met Toian, my wife who inspired the Story of the Month. Toian died May 21, 2016. This month I share pictures which symbolize our harmony, and one of her favorite stories. The following story was first shared with fellow members of the Island Writers Network, located at Hilton Head Island, SC. […]
The Haircut
The Haircut In 1965, Greenland was exclusively owned by Denmark. America leased an Air Force base there at Sondrestrom, where I reported in January to begin a tour of duty as the manager of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Station (AFRTS). When I arrived, all of the barbers were white men from Denmark. Shortly […]
Neighbors & A Trip Around the World
One question I’m often asked is how I remember so many stories of my very exciting and blessed life. One answer is a process I call “clustering.” When I recall thoughts of a particular person, activity or event I just let my mind wander to enjoy the fullness of that experience. Then, the cluster of related […]
The Shoe Box
The Story of the Month is now read by more persons and in more places than I imagined at the outset of distribution. The increase is due, in part, by your sharing these stories with your friends, a tendency that I authorize and encourage. I also invite your comments. One recent respondent asked that I […]
Listening and Learning & Wisdom
Listening and Learning Serendipity springs from its own fountain. Recently, on the same day, I became acquainted with three women. I watched one “show out” — a phrase the old folks used to compliment someone’s laudable behavior. One sought my advice. Another woman shared her secrets with a stranger. Immediately after meeting each woman, I […]
The Blind Leading the Blind: Two Navigators
The following story first appeared in my second book, Forks in the Road, and subsequently published in Hilton Headings, a Low Country Anthology by the Island Writer’s Network, and The Island Packet Newspaper, in Bluffton, SC. It is now shared in this series for those who missed the earlier presentations. The Blind Leading the Blind: […]
Santa Wore A Cowboy Hat
Santa Wore A Cowboy Hat After waiting in line for almost a half hour, I was still at least a dozen positions from the airline counter. It was two days before Christmas in the late 1970s, and I was among the horde of holiday travelers at Denver’s Stapleton Airport. Suddenly our wait was extended. A woman […]
The Reach of Grandmama’s Hand
The Reach of Grandmama’s Hand When I arrived at Westover Air Force Base in 1962, there was insufficient housing on base to accommodate me for four months of temporary duty at 8th Air Force Headquarters. I was given a voucher to pay for housing off base. Rather than stay in a motel, my inquiries about […]
Let Us Drink Water Together
Let Us Drink Water Together We met by chance on a cold day, and as we drank water from paper cups, his presence warmed my spirits (Washington, DC, circa 1969) Washington, D. C., was cold. As I strolled along on Capitol Hill, my chest and head ached, and I sought immediate relief from a cold […]
Betty
In a recent discussion about heroes I shared these memories. Betty She did what heroes do …. When Betty came to school on Monday, her pigtails framed her plain face, and her brown dress was freshly ironed. She took her seat near me in the first grade at Magnolia Street School in Valdosta, Georgia. The […]