Tall Tales of a Shorter Nature
Ninety-nine McClellan band kids had been dropped off that August afternoon with their instruments at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. About equally divided between sophomores, juniors and seniors (McClellan was a three year high school), we were there to learn our new halftime show for the fall. As it turned out, I was …
February 1, 2021
In February, 1972, Mom and Dad brought home a little fuzzball to join our family. She was off-white (a color the AKC called “champagne”), a little bigger than a softball, with bright, intelligent eyes. She was a poodle, half miniature and half toy, and she was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Rather than …
February 1, 2021
In August, 1968, after a year of apartment dwelling, our family moved to a newly built home in the growing suburb known as Southwest Little Rock. There were no parks near us and relatively few kids in the neighborhood. There was never even enough breeze to fly kites. I sometimes tried tying a kite to …
February 1, 2021
Nobody in my family was what you would call a serious drinker. Dad had a can or two of Old Milwaukee or Pabst Blue Ribbon at the company picnic every summer. In the cabinet sat a couple of souvenir Hurricane glasses from New Orleans, about the only evidence that Mom ever imbibed. According to her, …
January 31, 2021
In 8th grade PE class, I was relieved to find my teacher was Joe Walker. Coach Walker knew me because his son Duke was best friends with my brother Randy. I had hope for leniency and was planning to throw myself on the mercy of the court, so to speak. Lee Buxton, my 7th grade …
January 31, 2021
Most weekends began promptly after school on Friday when Mom, Dad, Randy and I would pile into our enormous-by-modern-standards, tastefully tan Pontiac Catalina. Dad would point the land yacht northeast and we would leave behind lesser metropolitan Little Rock. Along the 90 minute drive, we passed through several towns no larger than a four-way intersection, …
January 31, 2021
During sophomore year of high school, when first period band ended each day, I scurried as fast as I could to Mr. Jeff Weatherly’s geometry class. I always finished my previous night’s homework at the beginning of class. I started it there, too, so there really was no time to waste. A few extra …
January 31, 2021
After 14 years of chastity, I was soon to have my first date. I had confessed to my good friend Susan that I was in love with her good friend, Lynnette. Susan confessed that she loved my good friend Terry. By an odd coincidence, Susan and Terry and Lynnette and I went on a …
January 31, 2021
On December 7, 1975, the McClellan High band marched in the Little Rock Christmas parade. Our band director, Mr. Washburn, had informed us that the parade would be televised. He insisted we look smart, watch our lines, and not break rank if confronted with horse manure in our paths. Our misgivings about this decree were …
January 31, 2021
I had spent second and third grade living in a neighborhood with no kids to play with, and no parks to play in. As a result, I grew heavily dependent on comic books and television to entertain me. I also “grew heavily” in the most literal way. I metamorphosed from an active, skinny kid …
January 31, 2021