“Immortal” Texans punch Wilson’s ticket

On the Fourth of July 112 years ago this week, 40 delegates to the Democratic national convention boarded a train in Baltimore for the long ride back to Texas proud of the fact they had earned a place in history.

Wise words from wise men

“Fine honey, as long as you get it delivered.”— Heber Taylor III, author and former Galveston News editor ----- One perk of living a long life is recalling smart people you’ve met and remembering what you learned from them.Wise men like Ben Grimes up in Naples.

Meanwhile, up in space

Let’s talk about helium, (He), the second most abundant element in the universe (hydrogen (H) being the first). Helium is a noble gas, not just some rank and file commoner. It is found under the Earth’s crust. Makes balloons float and your voice sound like Alvin of the Chipmunks.

Ex-employee goes gunning for state treasurer

The shocking events of Jun. 30, 1903 may have left most Texans at a loss for words but not an East Texas editor, who wrote, “The tragedy is the first of its kind in the history of the state and is the most appalling in the annals of the South.”Col.

Wondering, are we simply too soft

These are the good old days.”— Long-time Mount Pleasant friend and old soul, Oscar Elliott (1947-2016)------ Rain was starting to fall. Mom ran around the house in a flurry of activity. “Put the windows down,” she called out to my sisters and me. “Quick.”Summers in the late 1950s were hot.

Even I can clean up nice, sometimes

Idon’t know why any person would choose not to wash off years of dirt and grime from the outside of their vehicle; or clean out the piles of accumulated gunk and stuff from the insides, choosing instead to drive around town like a live-action Pigpen from the Charlie Brown comic strip — and by “any...

This Week in Texas History

From Germany on Jun. 19, 1945, Lt. Joe Tom Meador wrote to the folks back home in Whitewright, Texas to ask “if my packages are getting home.

Stuntwoman never heard the cheers

The CBS television network broadcast “Silent Victory: The Story of Kitty O’Neil” on the evening of Jun. 17, 1979.Kitty Linn O’Neil was born in Corpus Christi, Texas on Mar. 24, 1946. She was still in diapers when simultaneously stricken with measles, mumps and what may have been smallpox.

We’ll work on prayers for intervention

“Family reunions. Where generations are united, and memories are rekindled.”— True statement. Author unknown.------ What were the odds, we surmised while talking about it? A miracle? Nothing quite so divine, but certainly, some intervention was involved. On that, we all agreed.

This week in spooky science

According to my interpretation of quantum mechanics, dishes left overnight in the kitchen sink are both clean and dirty — a paradox of quantum superposition — until the dishes are observed the next morning by the wife who stumbles into the kitchen looking for a cup of coffee.