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Yearly Archives: 2018

HomeYearly Archives: 2018
Kathy Downer: An Appreciation

Kathy Downer: An Appreciation

I have mentioned before that I felt somewhat out of my league when I was bumped up to the accelerated class (6B) at Hexter Elementary School in September 1964. All those kids were smart and none more so than Kathy Ann Downer. A 5-star student In...

April 29, 2018 Richard Bryan Adams High School, University of Arkansas 21 Comments
Five Texas Heroes from World War II

Five Texas Heroes from World War II

Approximately 750,000 Texans (12,000 of them female) served in the American armed forces during World War II. And of that number, 22,000 died—1.19% of all men between the ages of 19 and 44. None dare say that Texans failed to do their patriotic...

April 20, 2018 Richard Texan soldiers, World War II 17 Comments
Let Us Remember the Sewol

Let Us Remember the Sewol

It was 9 p.m., four years ago today. Four hundred and seventy-six people—33 crew members and 443 passengers, most of them 11th grade students at Danwon High School in Ansan—boarded a cruise ship named Sewol at Incheon. They headed south, bound...

April 15, 2018 Richard Sewol tragedy, South Korea 17 Comments

Smoking and Vaping in Korea

During my 10 ½ years in Korea, I have inhaled vast amounts of second-hand smoke. I have never smoked and would never do so, believing it to be a vile and disgusting habit. The deleterious effects of smoking on the human body are legion. People...

April 9, 2018 Richard smoking, vaping 31 Comments
Seonghwan and Anjung, March 31−April 1, 2018

Seonghwan and Anjung, March 31−April 1, 2018

The Seoul subway system—not all of it underground—is enormous, and that is how I got to Seonghwan on this early spring morning. Line 2 to Line 4 to Line 1, and there I was. A city of 30,000 people, it sits on the northern edge of South...

April 2, 2018 Richard Easter service, Korean travels 6 Comments
Alcindor / Abdul-Jabbar

Alcindor / Abdul-Jabbar

I doubt there has ever been a more dramatic college basketball debut than what transpired in Los Angeles on December 3, 1966. Lew Alcindor, UCLA’s 7′2″ sophomore center, scored 56 points in a 105-90 defeat of cross-town rival Southern Cal. His...

March 25, 2018 Richard college basketball, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, pro basketball 6 Comments
Charles Harrell, the Babe Ruth of the White Rock Churches Athletic Association

Charles Harrell, the Babe Ruth of the White Rock Churches Athletic Association

One-hundred acre Norbuck Park, at the intersection of Northwest Highway and Buckner Boulevard, was established in 1929. At its southeast corner is a tarnished monument to a man named Rowland D. Adams. He organized the White Rock Churches Athletic...

March 15, 2018 Richard Charles Harrell, church baseball, Dallas 10 Comments
Audrey and I Visit a Fortune-Teller

Audrey and I Visit a Fortune-Teller

I do not have a bucket list. Even if I did, going to see a fortune-teller would not be on it, not even at the bottom. I have never had the least desire or need to avail myself of clairvoyants. I feel no contempt for those who partake, but I sure...

March 11, 2018 Richard fortune-teller, Korean culture, tarot 24 Comments
The PyeongChang Winter Olympics: February 9 to 25, 2018

The PyeongChang Winter Olympics: February 9 to 25, 2018

I had been to PyeongChang once before, in September 2010, as well as Gangneung (April 2013). Both of these cities in Gangwon Province hosted events as part of the recently concluded 2018 Winter Olympics. Most prominent, of course, was...

March 2, 2018 Richard 2018 Winter Olympics, North Korea, South Korea 25 Comments
I’m Cool, She’s Hot—and We Both Wear Docs

I’m Cool, She’s Hot—and We Both Wear Docs

My age (65) and that of my girlfriend Audrey (56) might render us something other than fashion-forward if not for the fact that each of us owns a pair of Dr. Martens boots. If you wear Docs, you are at least moderately hip. First, however, let it...

February 23, 2018 Richard Doc Martens, fashion, shoes 4 Comments
The Truth about Bessie Smith’s Tragic Death

The Truth about Bessie Smith’s Tragic Death

J. Frank Dobie was a member of the faculty at the University of Texas off and on from 1914 until his dismissal in 1947. As you may know, I attended said institution in the early and mid-1970s. Dobie, author of numerous books, was a widely...

February 13, 2018 Richard blues music, history, racism 6 Comments
Byron White—A Jock and a Justice

Byron White—A Jock and a Justice

Since the U.S. Supreme Court was established in 1789, a total of 113 men and women have served as justices. George Washington appointed John Jay as the first chief justice, and Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch early last year. The former...

February 6, 2018 Richard Byron White, college football, Colorado, Supreme Court 6 Comments
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