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Born May 18, 1953; got saved at Truett Memorial BC in Hayesville, NC 1959. On rigged ballot which I did not rig got Most Intellectual class of 71, Gaffney High School. Furman Grad, Sociology major but it was little tougher than Auburn football players had Had three dates with beautiful women the summer of 1978. Did not marry any of em. Never married anybody cause what was available was undesirable and what was desirable was unaffordable. Unlucky in love as they say and even still it is sometimes heartbreaking. Had a Pakistani Jr. Davis Cupper on the Ropes the summer of 84, City Courts, Rome Georgia I've a baby sitter, watched peoples homes while they were away on Vacation. Freelance writer, local consultant, screenwriter, and the best damn substitute teacher of Floyd County Georgia in mid 80's according to an anonymous kid passed me on main street a few years later when I went back to get a sandwich at Schroeders. Had some good moments in Collinsville as well. Ask Casey Mattox at www.clsnet.org if he will be honest about it. I try my best to make it to Bridges BBQ in Shelby NC at least four times a year.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

What's the Frequency Kenneth?

Last night about 11pm after a day of despond I was overwhelmed with choices on the Big Screen.
Would it be Charlie Rose on Afghanistan, PBS Nova on the NSA, the final innings of the College World Series and Jackie Bradley Jr; or 30 minutes of great REM concert at Oxegen.
I parked mostly on REM. Michael Stipe was preaching the Gospel in Song and Frequency Kenneth spoke to my condition, even this late at 57 and two months.
I remembered some email exchanges I'd had with his manager Bertis Downs in 04 and the promise of those days; great panels and hope that all day long had seemed so distant and impossible now.
And they may be; but for an hour Hope lived again.
Had a sleepless night, didn't conk out till 4 am.

Sunday is July 4th.
On July 5th 1969 Janis Joplin sang at the Atlanta Pop Festival.

So Long Ago. The Corpse Bird Waits for me.

But America will struggle on.

God Bless America and its Promise; and God Bless Rock N Roll.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Isner's Top Ten

I can't get these links to jazz, but I tried. Maybe you can cut and paste, the first one here from Isner's hometown paper.

www.news-record.com/content/2010/06/28/article/isner_to_present_top_10_list_on_letterman


can't make it work

www.news-record.com/content/2010/06/28/article/isner_to_present_top_10_list_on_letterman




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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/29/john-isner-visits-letterm_n_629136.html

Friday, June 25, 2010

Collinsville Baptist 200 Anniversary

This blog is work in Progress; but core question is how will Collinsville Baptist erase the legacy of Jon Appleton and John Jeffers in its 200 Anniversary. Will statements made have any integrity inlight of what Bill Leonard said last night in Charlotte?

Here is a note I submitted this morning to George Truett's Hometown Paper, the Clay County (NC) progress:

Please indulge another Baptist note as Hayesville with Truett's Birthplace does carry a lot of History that inflects the national character. Last night in Charlotte, at national gathering of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Wake Forest Div Dean Bill Leonard gave the remarks you'll see at the end of this note. When my Dad was in Hayesville in early 60's, his seminary teacher Stewart Newman came to visit him and after a good lunch prepared by my Mother, told his illustrious travelingfriends; yall go on to Nashville, I think I'll just stay here with Billy. Google up the Curtis Freeman essay on Stewart Newman and Truett's successor at FBC Dallas WA Criswell. History reported from Duke. So an Atticus Finch analogous character once came through Hayesville, the birthplace of Truett. It all sets up nicely Bill Leonard's prophetic remarks last night in Charlotte: Leonard said he thinks often of Ann Hasseltine Judson, a Congregationalist missionary who, along with her newlywed husband, Adoniram, converted to the Baptist faith while reading the Greek New Testament after setting sail for India in 1812. She wrote a friend apologetically describing the couple as “confirmed Baptists, not because we wished to be, but because truth compelled us to be.” Leonard said many non-fundamentalist Baptists today find themselves in a similar predicament. “If conscience dictates, I suppose we can rip the word 'Baptist' out of our literature, paint over it on our church signs or delete it from our Web page, Facebook, Twitter and podcast Internet connections,” Leonard said. “But before we do, let’s admit that there is no generic Christianity divorced from community or without an identity that centers us in the world or the Kingdom of God.” “Tonight, let’s stop worrying about our name and start reclaiming our witness,” Leonard advised. “Let’s quit fretting over the loss of cultural dominance and turn loose our consciences. Let’s go out as children of God, born again, and again, and again, and again in one of the church’s dysfunctional but gladly grace-filled families; children of God in the water and at the table, in the Word and in the world, children of God knit together by grace.”

Stephen Fox
Friday, Jun 25, 2010 (10:06:40 am CDT

Sunday, June 20, 2010

My Dad and Atticus Finch

I wasn't gonna put anything up on Father's Day but late in the afternoon it came to my attention some acquaintances were making public statements about their Fathers; Wade Burleson in Particular.
Some family I hear are watching to Kill a Mockingbird tonight.
Malcolm Gladwell took some exception to Atticus notlong ago in the New Yorker, but Julie Lynn among others took exception to him
I almost met Harper Lee's roommate at Auburn once, but she passed away. She was from Gadsden and I'm pretty sure Kathryn Tucker Windham knew her pretty well. Lee's father had an interesting career in the Methodist church I read somewhere.
And my friend Sam Hodges, former book page editor of the Charlotte Observer differs with Gladwell aswell.
Tim Tyson may have legitimacy to differ with Harper Lee or the legend of To Kill a Mockingbirg, but Gladwell didn't know what he was talking about,nor did he understand the milieu.

But it was 1976 when the lesson of Atticus Finch first registered with me. I remember it plainly, my Brother coming home from church and my Dad asking the blessing at the table.
My Brother is goingto Philadelphia tomorrow.

I'm not quite ready to tellmy story just now. I can say physically my Grandfather Jordan had more resemblance to Gregory Peck, as my Dad was kinda rotund; more of the appearance of some character out of a Randy Newman album.
But my Dad was Atticus, Father's Day, 76 and the younger brother was the elder brother but it's all right now; Jesus gonnabe here soonand cover us allwith a blanket; and or we'll be some version of the last scene of The White Ribbon.

I was talkin to a man last night who is takin a group on a civil rights tour through Selma; and four days ago talked to a woman from Poland who was goin to Alabama to see the country side. I gave her David Remnick's book,the Bridge togive her some understanding of Selma.
I was gonna be there with Hillary and Bill and Barack and John Lewis in 2007, but the car wouldn't start.
A Major regret; one that mattered.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Morgen's ESPN 30/30 effort a "Triumph"

Brett Morgen on the Way of the World
by Stephen Fox » Thu Jun 17, 2010 11:51 am

Click on title above and several reviews linked.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Furman has two players in World Cup

That's pretty impressive nobody how you gauge it. Especially for a school of an enrollment of 2500 students.

Furman says Clint Dempsey is the first grad to make the cover of Sports Illustrated. I guess they would know, but I thought Betsy King or Frank Selvy, the man who scored 100 in an NCAA Basketball game woulda made it.

Congrats to soccer players Ernie Robbins and Ed Bonn, two futbollers I knew when the program was kicking in in the early 70's. And Stuart, whose last name I can't recall at the moment. I think he was from Georgia.

I'm learning things like Uruguay has a population about the same as the state of Iowa and has won two World Cups.

http://www2.furman.edu/Lists/Press%20Releases/DispForm-PressReleases.aspx?List=f3a3efbf%2Df75d%2D4e3d%2D8191%2Df3599d9900fa&ID=274

And Dempsey on the Cover:

http://www2.furman.edu/Lists/Press%20Releases/DispForm-PressReleases.aspx?List=f3a3efbf%2Df75d%2D4e3d%2D8191%2Df3599d9900fa&ID=276

Profile of Dempsey from NY Times, via Columbia State:

http://www.thestate.com/2010/06/06/1318956/time-to-shine-for-ex-furman-soccer.html

ABC announcer for Dempsey's World Cup Goal against England today called it: "one of the softest goals you'll ever see at this level of futbol."

I'd say it was some Paladin cunning.

Congrats to Furman and the USA and getting through to the next round.

If Collinsville will work with me, maybe we can get Dempsey there for Inspiration for Collinsville's Soccer Program which has strong resonances to Paul Cuadros a Home on the Field.

5:18 pm June 12
The Clint Dempsey story it turns out has aspects of a Cormac McCarthy novel.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/world-cup-2010/writers/melissa_segura/06/09/dempsey/1.html

And this sublime memoir from Daniel Alarcon, with whom I had several email exchanges a few years ago.

http://www.tnr.com/article/world/75256/my-fathers-game

If not Furman why not bring Alarcon to Collinsville as well.

Or great Furman panel would include Clint Dempsey; Alarcon, Paul Cuadros and Steve Roberts; Cokie's Husband who has recently written great book about the immigrant experience in America.
Roberts has Furman connection through the Haynsworths, his neighbors on the SC Coast.
It can happen; it should happen and looking for two of the four to filter on down to Collinsville for an inspirational day.

Beth Templeton, point guard, of the Ruhama Community, the class of 1997 Collinsville High School, is at the World Cup FIFA games in South Africa. I last saw Beth late evening of circa March 10,2007 in Ft. Payne near the Cracker Barrel.

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Collinsville's Brett Morgen and OJ Siimpson

I Say Collinsville's because I was local consultant for Morgen's first film, Blessings of Liberty, shown on Statewide Public Television.
I could easily say Robert Redford's or Oscar's Brett Morgen because he later became big at Sundance and was nominated for an Oscar.
June 17th, 1994 will be shown Weds, 16 June at 10 pm on Espn's 30 for Thirty. It will be shown again three days later at Noon, Saturday on ESPN


http://30for30.espn.com/film/june-17-1994.html
Be sure and tune in.

From what I can gather at the ESPN site, the film is more about how that day imprinted itself on the nation's public memory; an exercise in the exploration of iconography more than an attempt to redo the trial or to exonerate Simpson.

Will be interesting to see the film, and with everyone else review the public discussion of the film.


"As the Axe came into the Woods, Many of the trees said, At least the Handle is One of Us."
Turkish Proverb

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Baseball and the June Issue of Baps Today

Get your hands on a copy of the June issue of Baptists Today, page 23 and 24 I think it is, and spread the news around.

In the meantime, my friend John Pierce has great blog today about Perfect Games and Baseball and Justice and Umpires.

I made a comment there.

Pierce is from Ringgold,Georgia and a big fan of the Rome and Atlanta Braves; a graduate of Berry College.

He and my Dad woulda been great friends, and through his in laws he is acquainted with Bonson Barnes of Kings, Mtn North Carolina.

Pierce practicing his craft in fine form today:

http://www.johndpierce.com/2010/06/there-can-be-perfect-games-but-never.html

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Federer has fallen

The Mighty Soderling with the Big Swing has felled him.

Federer is the better tennis player; more finesse, better stylist, plays the game the way it is supposed to be played.
McEnroe mighta been better at the net in his time; then he again he was left handed.
Best match ever woulda been to see those two on equal terms; Fed and Johnny Mac.

But today June 1, 2010 Soderling had the Big SWAT.

He goes on to the next round and Federer exhibits signs of mortality.