Fist City

Dean’s 13-year-old brother Jack often took me to ‘fist city.’  When Jack didn’t have anything else to do, he came across the road and beat me up. Dean and I were 12-year-old friends who lived near the oilfield-supply lumber yard my Dad bossed in Hamlin, West Texas. Dad had hired the Morris boy who had won numerous Golden Glove’s fights.  Dad suggested maybe he could teach me something about boxing.  He did.  Taught me how

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Hearing Aids

Newlyweds Christine and Alec Eastus spent a year at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.  Then spent their second married year completing their graduate studies at the University of Texas. Christine had received a post-graduate scholarship when she graduated, Valedictorian, from McMurry College.  Alec, an earlier McMurry graduate, had served as an enlisted man in the Air Corp legal division during the Korean War. During their second graduate-student year, Christine translated a Polish novel for her Master’s degree

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Too Much Interest

Bank President Briggs Todd agreed to make the loan—Alex and I gave him our personal guarantee—to our high school Sea Scouts.  And “Briggs, work ‘em over like you do us. Teach our young men how banks negotiate loans.” Happened back in the 1950s when Lawyer Eastus and Oilfield Supply Salesman Elam volunteered to skipper Sea Scout Ship Phantom.   A payback for the fine leadership Skipper Claude Willis gave us in the 1940s. Our young charges

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Hustler v. Newsboy

My 1945 senior year in high school, I was given a pardon from the last classroom hour so I could edit the Abilene High student biweekly newspaper.  I used that extra time, and a part-time reporter’s salary, to learn how to shoot a better game of pool. The pool hall was in the basement of the Grace Hotel.  Located across the street from the Abilene Reporter-News where I worked weekends writing sports.  My tutor and classmate

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Military Security at Best

Alex Eastus and I buddied in Sea Scouts, double-dated, spent World War II in high school.    We graduated from college the same year, but only Alex served in the Korean War.   Alex was single, admitted to law school, but the Air Force thought he would make a fine enlisted man in their Judge Advocate General (legal branch ) division. I was married, going to become a Daddy, and couldn’t pass the minimum eye exam

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Honorary Texas Rangers

          The two businessmen came from Chicago. The “suits” left for a business convention in St. Louis, but lost their way to St. Peter Street in New Orleans.             The three “political experts” drove from Alabama where we went to help a recent college classmate run for Congress.   Alex and I wrote speeches, press releases, radio commercials. Phil announced our copy.  We were driving back to Abilene. Stopped in New Orleans to buy

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Alex’s Courtroom

My long-time school and sailing friend, and political opposite, was Alex Eastus, Esquire. Alex’s favorite lawyer story happened in the Abilene Texas, Taylor County courtroom. The case concerned a vehicular accident at the intersection across the road from where Old Mose had sat in his front porch rocking chair. In the courtroom, Mose used his walking cane to help him take the witness chair. Blinked often. Rubbed his eyes. “I seen it all…” Mose testified.

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