Sheriffs I have known

 Sheriff Buford Pusser of Walking Tall fame in Tennessee had his counterpart here in Georgia during the 1970s and 80s.    The late Earl Lee held office in Douglas county for almost 30 years.  He carried out the duties of sheriff with humor and toughness.   Like Pusser, Lee carried a big stick.   Here Sheriff Lee he tells us what happened when a prisoner grabbed his stick.

  STORIES ABOUT EARL LEE HAVE BECOME LEGEND AMONG LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN METRO ATLANTA.   WE’LL REPORT SOME OF THOSE IN FUTURE POSTINGS.

Wild Animals

We have been invading the natural habitat of wild animals in metro Atlanta for decades.   The more land we humans use…the less there is for raccoons, foxes and other creatures.    How we deal with them has beeen the subject of many of my stories thru the years.   In the 1992  piece you’re about to see, we interview the late John McClure.    John was the director of the Cobb Animal Shelter.   The shelter is named in John’s honor.   The anchor is Don Farmer (retired).

 IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH WILD ANIMALS, IT’S PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AS IT WAS 18 YEARS AGO.

Will Chamberlin is back!!

Will Chamberlin-Race Director

Stroke victim Will Chamberlin is smiling as he continues to recover from a mild stroke suffered a few weeks ago.   The beloved Athens based race director  was helping at one of his events today near his Athens home.  As you will hear in this short interview,Will’s speech is slowly returning.

Carole Black

The heroine of Will”s recovery is long-time friend Carole Black.   Carole’s full time job is teaching computer science and math at Oconee County High.   On the weekends, Carole is filling in for Will at his races until he’s able to bear the full load again himself  Carole tells me that Will begins speech therapy sessions this coming week.   He’s been doing pretty darn well on his own.  HALLELUJAH!

The younger and the older

Susie Dorminy-Ron Landen

The younger and the older of it at Saturday’s Run For The Angels 5K and 10K in Newnan, Georgia.   8-year-old Susie Dorminy and 65-year-old Ron Landen were running together during the last stretch of the 5K when, Ron says, Susie switched to overdrive and left him behind.   It’s times like this when many of us older guys long for the days of our youth…or to be just a few years younger.

Barbara Chandler-47-year-old 10K overall-overall

47-year-old Barbara Chandler is still enjoying her younger years.    She was the overall-overall in the 10K with a time of 41:52.   Barbara says she never ran in school…took up running only about 12 years ago.  It was not the fastest field of runners, but Barbara was the fastest among all 10K competitors.

Will Kaufman-43:35-1st 10K male

The first male, Will Kaufman, was almost two minutes behind Barbara.  The temperature was around 39 degrees with light rain.  The occasional gusts made it feel chillier…especially those headwinds.

But the tailwinds came from those creative cheerleaders along the way.  I’ll be posting a more complete photo show Sunday.  Just google Don McClelllan photo show. It should take you to the Roxio site.

Plane crashes

Covering plane crashes has been part of my life for almost 50 years.    Getting to the site is often tough.   Once an aerial search has found the crash, negotiating the terrain sometimes requires walking up a mountain thru the woods.   Here is one such crash we covered in 1992. John Alston and Sandra Bookman are the anchors.

  I’VE OFTEN REFLECTED ON THE PILOTS AND PASSENGERS WHOSE LIVES WERE CUT SHORT IN THESE CRASHES…ABOUT THE PEOPLE THEY LEFT BEHIND AND HOW THEIR LIVES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE LOSS OF THEIR LOVED ONES.

Return to Rome (Italy-not Georgia)

This is one of the sights that Bailey Pendergrast and 3 of her women friends saw on a recent 4 day trip to Rome.  It was in a church.  Bailey says such figures are common.  She believes it is the skeletal remains of someone who was once prominent in the church.

Bailey Pendergrast and ?

This is Bailey trying to imitate the “buff” condition of that fellow behind her    Bailey is a registered nurse and physical fitness trainer at Emory where I attend classes.    Given a few more centuries and lots of hormones, she could have people posing in front of her.     She made the trip courtesy of one of her 3 friends whose husband works as a mechanic with Delta.   He got them “buddy” passes which means they could fly cheap…much cheaper than regular fare.   I know about flying cheap to Rome.    My first wife, Barbara, worked for Pan Am.   We flew standby, it seemed to me, to almost every major city in the world icluding Rome, Italy.

Mary and ?

I don’t recall this happening to Barbara or me.  Bailey says this is her friend, Mary, being “hit upon by one of those sexy Italian men.”   Bailey says it was strictly for the lens….no harm…no foul…but a lot of fun.

What would a visit to Rome and the Vatican be without a look at the Sistine Chapel.  Historians says it’s only been about 500 years since Michelangelo created this masterpiece.  Reason enough one day to return again to Rome and the Vatican.

A home visit with Ray Moore

Ray Moore

The Georgia broadcast legend  is doing most of his living in his living room as he recovers from a fall that sent him to the hospital.    As usual, the 87-year-old was in good spirits when I visited him today.  His wonderful wife, Sara, is taking good care of Ray.     Sara also is on the mend…recovering from a cracked rib.

Across the room from Ray’s perch are a walker and a wheelchair, borrowed from Ray’s church.    He tells me he soon expects to return them and be moving around on his own again.

I commend to you a comment posted by Lynda Grier.   She remembers an experience with Ray when Lynda was only 16.   It demonstrates the kind of man he was then and is today..absent his little sports car.

Braves Fever 92

We were just warming up to Braves fever in 1992.  It was one year after the team’s first division title.   The Braves had just lost a game, but would thrive on the enthusiasm of their fans to win the division for the second year in a row.   The anchors are Don Farmer(retired) and Monica Kaufman(Pearson}.

  ALMOST FUN TIME AGAIN IN 2010.     THE BRAVES PITCHING CAMP ALREADY OPEN.

Ray Moore’s casserole

Ray Moore

Georgia broadcasting legend Ray Moore is back home after 3 plus days in the hospital.  Ray’s one of my heroes.   He was the news director and top air personality at WSB-TV when I joined WSB in 1960 and for many years thereafter.   Ray’s taught me so much by just watching him.   His wife, Sara, insisted Ray go to the hospital after he fell and hit one of his legs on the hard edge of a chair.  The leg swelled and caused other complications for the now 87-year-old Smyrna resident.  Sara is also recovering from physical problems including a cracked rib.  So relatives and friends have been taking care of the shopping and bringing food.   Ray’s oldest son, Russ, in a display of his father’s wit,  wrote that Ray and Sara were revising their will to include the bequeathing of excess casseroles.  Ray says it’s not true..they expect to survive their casseroles.

Only the cold..

I'm finishing the Callaway Gardens 5K

No rain…only the cold to deal with Sunday at the Callaway Gardens marathon, half-marathon and 5K.     It was 29 degrees at the 7:50 a.m. start of the shortest distance.   Runners generally are comfortable in almost any temperatures after the first mile, but as you age, the body doesn’t warm up nearly as fast.

Overall 5K winner Nathan Norton=18:10

Overall 5K winner Nathan Norton demonstrating how to ignore the 29 degree temperature by running shirtless. When you’re moving fast, the body generates a lot of heat.   Your system will first protect the torso.  It’s the hands and other unprotected extremities that first feel the cold.

Most experienced  runners choose to dress in layers.  If you get too warm, you can always shed a shirt or jacket.   But that shouldn’t happen much in the shorter races like the 5K.

Billy Lashley with me

Billy Lashley and I were feeling snug as we motored along where the temperature rose to an even 30 near the finish!  It seems to me that the predicted cold temperature’s bark is often worse than its bite.