My friend Kevin Nietmann is a genealogical nut. He loves delving into the identity of his ancestors, going all the way back to the 18th or even the 17th century. Kevin’s hobby makes sense. As much as I read and write about history, you might...
“Regrets, I’ve had a few / But then again, too few to mention.” Those lines come from “My Way” (sung by Paul Anka, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Sid Vicious among others), a nostalgic review of the events of a person’s life. They apply to me...
During my final semester as a college student—fall 1975 at Stephen F. Austin State University—a friend named Andy introduced me to a rather soaring tune by British rocker Al Stewart. It was about physician, astrologer and purported seer...
People in Chicago may have been rather hyperbolic in calling it the “crime of the century.” But what a 24-year-old, pock-marked, sociopathic drifter named Richard Speck did over five hours bridging July 13 and 14, 1966 was awful enough. Carrying...
All of his contemporaries and baseball historians would agree that Grover Cleveland Alexander was among the greatest pitchers ever: 373 victories (90 of them shutouts), a microscopic 2.56 ERA, 2,198 strikeouts and owner of an excellent heater, a...
Conservatism—social, political and otherwise—used to be the most basic ingredient in the cultural fabric at Texas A&M. Not until 1963 were women and blacks allowed to enroll, which is to say it had long been an all-male, virtually all-White...
Nearly three decades have passed since Mademoiselle B.P. and I were a couple. This woman, a bit older than me, grew up in a small village in France and had a most beguiling accent. I regret not having asked her about the French Revolution...
Here in the year of our Lord 2022, I doubt you could find anyone with whom I sympathize less than pro basketball and football players. Contemptuous of fans, self-absorbed and prone to violence, they strut and preen, and are lavishly paid...
Born and raised in the Protestant (Presbyterian, to be specific) tradition, I have some trouble relating to Catholicism. What I find most bothersome is the overemphasis on Mary, the saints and the Pope. Ah, the Bishop of Rome! Some of these “holy...
I think Katie Ledecky should go ahead and state her views. Regarded by many people as the finest female swimmer of all time (she currently holds numerous world records and won seven gold medals and three silver medals at the London, Rio de...
The cognomen “Lovelace” originated with her suitcase-pimp husband Chuck Traynor. Star of a painfully tawdry film that somehow became the subject of academic discourse, she had good reason to abhor it—and him. Since the name is so well known...
As of this writing, he has scored 35,787 points and collected 9,849 rebounds for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, the Cavs again and the Los Angeles Lakers; won four titles (two in Miami, one in Cleveland and one in LA); been on the cover...
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