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Forty years ago, Dayna and I purchased The Allen Advocate from Virgil and Jackie Guy. It has been a great journey and we have made many lifelong friends. Had it not been for Wayne and Pat Bullard, Charles and Betty Spear and Eric Pierce, I don’t think we would have ever survived those early years.
Read moreSo, when did these Father’s Day celebrations get started and how? Well, the first one came forth on June 19, 1910. The same year my own father was born. Men scoffed at this new day. “It’s just a trick to get people to spend money on yet another holiday,” said my dad. “Besides, we wind up having to pay for it ourselves anyway, so what’s the point.”
Read moreMemorial Day is here. A time to remember and honor those heroes who paid the ultimate price to defend our country. There are many heroes in our area. And I salute all of them. But today I want to talk about a particular one. One you may not have known of or remember. A boy from Lula. A boy who gave his life for our freedom. His name: Gene Porter Hamilton. Ever hear of him? Everyone knew “Gene Porter” as his mother called him back in the 30’s. She and her husband, Virgil Hamilton, raised Gene over at Lula where Gene went to school and his dad Virgil Hamilton was a wellknown grocer.
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My friend Debbie told me a story about her father that warmed my heart and stopped me cold. Here’s the basic story as she related it:
Read moreIt’s May and this heralds’ observations of many important days. Graduations have taken place and so did Mother’s Day. I don’t know where we will hold the Memorial Day ceremonies this year, in the cemetery or some indoor venue, but the date is May 30 at 11:00 am. Stay tuned. But speaking of Memorial Day next Monday, I think of some of the heroes of my own heart. One of them is from Texas but that’s sort of local to me.
Read morePeople that don’t regularly read this column may not realize that the famous movie star, Cheeta is dead. His best friend and caregiver hauled this 140-pound dead Chimp around on a cart so the other primates he lived with could say goodbye. Cheeta spent his last years at a roadside celebrity zoo near Tarpon Springs, Florida. Cheeta was later cremated, and his remains placed in an attractive burial box for his funeral. Over 60 people attended the old Tarzan movie chimps’ funeral. Cheeta was 80 years old.
Read moreCredit for these little goodies goes to my No. 1 correspondent, Al Wilburn. But I detected a huge number of instances that are probably common to us all. Enjoy!
Read moreWe didn’t have any swimming pools in Stonewall, at least not like a lot of towns such as Allen have. In 1944 I was still sort of new to living there but thought I was in hog heaven anyway, having lived in Centrahoma until 1944. So, it was one day when 4 of us boys who had been down on Buck Creek in the July heat spotted this little pool of water. It was near the old water tower and its overflow had created this little pond of cool clear water and it was shielded from view by brush and cane. What better place to take a quick swim?
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