The recent Presidential press conference brouhaha reminds me of another presidential press conference. A prominent journalist shared this story during a lunch of journalists and journalism teachers at the University of North Carolina campus in the 1980s. I forget the journalist’s name, who worked for a national publication, but have not forgotten his historical description of one of President Calvin Coolidge’s press conferences. “Silent Cal” Coolidge may have been the first President to hold
Category: North Carolina
Hurricane Florence
If you were watching this September Friday, TV reporters waded in waters churned by Hurricane Florence. In the 1980s we sailed some of those waters. Flo—as former student John Taylor’s email abbreviated—threatened him and his four cats with flooding from Cape Fear River. Nikki and Lockwod Phillips in Morehead City reported winds blew off a large tree limb that broke house windows and damaged their roof. Also former students, now publishers of two weekly newspapers,
Alfie, the Cat
You may have heard Dionne Warwick sing “…What’s it all about, Alfie?” You may have seen the movie “Alfie”. We remember the cat Alfie. Met Alfie in 1975 when I moved into a 15-story Honolulu condominium. Alfie lived on the fourth floor, and he was famous for falling four floors. And surviving. Alfie leaped for a bird that lit on his balcony, missed the bird, landed in a tree beside the swimming pool. Swimmers helped
Tailgate Party
A recent tailgating invitation from the editor of the Texas Exes Alcalde magazine noted that space for tailgating was available in the parking lot. The email reminded me of my first tailgate party. As the new broadcast and film chairman at University of North Carolina, I was invited to tailgate with one of my new colleagues. The University of North Carolina was playing Texas Tech. We didn’t like when they came to my home town
Bosun Mate, the cat
Our sea-going cat was named Bosun Mate. Boatswain Mate is correct spelling for the Navy rank, but our Bosun Mate wasn’t always correct. When Bosun was a kitten, we took him aboard the Makaleka, our 36-foot Pearson sloop. Bosun shared the boat with Captain Jack, our 85-pound golden retriever, who also sailed the North Carolina waterways with us. Bosun must have thought he was a dog. We found that out on his first summer voyage
Storms at Sea
Excerpt from Sunday lesson by Dick Elam, circa January 1983 I know something of storms at sea. We were sailing in the Neuse River with shores less than a mile away. Ten mile winds, threatening clouds, but no rain. So gentle that our eight-year old grandson steered our boat, following the wake of a sailboat about 50 yards ahead. Then the thunderstorm struck. Taking the helm, we sent our grandson below. Driving rain swept across