I'll never forget that June day in 1979 when I, as a starry-eyed youngster, stood nervously in front of the grizzled old Morning Advocate editor and told him I wanted a job as a columnist.
"Tired of working, huh, kid?" he growled.
"Yes sir, I mean no sir, I meanโฆ"
"Never mind. We might have something you can do. Here's a stack of letters from readers who have been sending us little stories about cute children, funny experiences, bad jokes, major birthdays and anniversaries, stuff like that. It's not exactly news, but maybe you can put them in an items column.
"Start it June 4 and do it six days a week. If it doesn't catch on, you can go back to doing what you were doing before, whatever that was."
"Uh, I bagged groceriesโฆ"
"That's good; there's always a demand for experienced grocery baggers. OK, get to work, and hope your readers keep you supplied with enough stories to keep you going."
They did, bless 'em โ which is why, 38 years later, I'm here instead of the supermarket. Thanks to all of you who write this thing and all who read it.ย
Plenty of nothing
Lady Di, of New Roads, says, "Little girlsโ soccer and the ถถา๕h Legislature call to mind a little boy kicking an ant nest โฆ plenty of action, nothing accomplished."
Sign language
"LSU Tiger '67" tells this travel story:
"Traveling north on U.S. 49 last week from Biloxi to Jackson, I saw what is now one of my Top 10 highway signs โ 'Dry Creek Water Park'!
"The water park is located just west of Mount Olive, Mississippi. If I'd had time, I would have followed the sign to see this marvel.
"Instead, I was making tracks to attend my granddaughter's graduation from Brandon, Mississippi, High School. Next time, however. โฆ"
Coming clean
Ken Best, of Baton Rouge, says our series on flying stories reminds him of "a reconnaissance mission at 26,000 feet over Cambodia as a naval flight officer.
"We observed on the radar what we thought was a break in a line of thunderstorms. We chose to proceed through the storms along what we thought was a safe flight path. The break was in fact the opening in a hammerhead thunderstorm. Inside that storm was hail."
He says it took a "split S" roll maneuver to change direction by 180 degrees as quickly as possible.
"Once out of the hail we decided to abort the mission and return to Danang. Once on the ground we observed that the aircraft had been 'sandblasted' clean of most markings."
Nostalgia Corner
Russell T. Hebert, of New Orleans, recalls the time in the '30s when streetcar fare was 7 cents a trip:
"Everyone was poor then, but if we had enough money, my date (now my wife) and I would walk to Magazine Street and catch a streetcar to the West End near Lake Pontchartrain. There we would sit by the canal and listen to the music from a nightclub across the canal.
"Our date cost us 14 cents streetcar fare each way. Try going on a date for 28 cents!"
Special People Dept.
- Joyce Pickering Crochet Cowart, of Zachary, celebrates her 90th birthday Saturday, June 3, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Zachary.ย She is a native of Franklin County, Mississippi.
- Col. Russell and Eloise Mayeur celebrate their 72nd anniversary Saturday, June 3.
Ideas about IDs
I got some quick responses to Tony Falterman's mention in the Thursday column about ID cards being required for colonoscopies:
- David Couvillon says: "There is irony in requiring an ID card for a colonoscopy and voting; it all results in getting it in the end."
- Doug Johnson, of Watson, says: "Tony Falterman's comment about people being asked for IDs reminded me of being asked for my ID when making a deposit to my bank account.
"I have instructed them to accept any deposits to my account, regardless of the name of the donor. It's at Whitney, if anyone is interested is in making a contribution."