WERK JINGLES

I wish kids today could grow up with the kind of radio I had as a kid.  

As David Letterman has often said, "It all stated with a little 250 watt station in Muncie Indiana.

Let's go back to February 14, 1965.

A little low powered AM radio station signs on the air in Muncie Indiana.

It was only allowed to be on the air during the daylight hours from a massive six tower array just south of Muncie on Hi Way Three.

I could go on on on about the talent that came through those doors. Many young DJ's starting out began their careers  at WERK.


For years they captivated the audience in Muncie with their fast paced Top 40 sound. Despite the low power and operating hours, they sounded just like the big stations in Chicago.

But as FM came along, and the AM Audience dwindled, so did AM 990.

But when they signed on, they had a great JINGLE package patterned after CKLW in Windsor/Detroit


C K L W ALL HEART JINGLES



I think the jingles fit better for the W E R K  call letters and the 990 Frequency

So for us Radio Geeks, old D.J.'s and the folks in my home town. Lets take a listen.......and remember those great days


WE'RE IN LOVE....THE STATION THAT'S ALL HEART

WAKE UP AND LIVE....YOU'RE IN THE HEARTLINE GENERATION

IT'S W E R K ....RADIO 99

VIVA LA MUSIC RADIO 99 THE STATION THAT'S ALL HEART

NO WORK, ALL PLAY THIS IS RADIO 99 W E R K

DRIVE CAREFULLY, CAUSE WE LOVE YOU

HEY LOOK HERE YOU HAPPY HEARTS...THIS IS WHERE YOUR WEEKEND STARTS

"WE ALL NEED SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON"

 Those words were written in 1972 by the late Bill Withers. We were all reminded of his hit gold record "Lean On Me",  when we learned he had passed away.

I hadn't thought about that tune in a while, altho back in my DJ days I played it on the radio all the time.

But it has now taken on a whole new meaning. 

'LEAN ON ME'

Let's think about this.

We all need someone to lean on. As human beings, we crave interaction with other humans. It's part of who we are.

So now many of us are locked down. We are being told to stay in our homes. We don't go out unless it is 'essential'.

The definition of 'Essential' is absolutely necessary; extremely important.

Yesterday, I watched as our neighbors came and went, as if nothing had changed. 

Then I realized they just needed to have that interaction. They needed to get out of the house. They needed something to do. They were already getting bored. To them, it was 'essential'.

I am lucky. I have someone to 'lean on'. Penny and I do a lot of things together. We cook and I help her in the yard. We even find some televisions shows we both can enjoy. We also LAUGH. A lot.

We also have our own separate interests.

I do Woodworking. (Mostly making stuff for her) She loves to read, take care of the cat & dogs, and do her gardening. I have tropical fish, watch a ton of Star Trek, and make more stuff for her.

By the time this is all over, I am going to have the cleanest woodworking shop in town.

I also find time to write here occasionally, and over at KILL IT, CUT IT UP, AND COOK IT

And I am still trying to finish my three volume great American novel.
 
But more than anything we just lean on each other.

I hope that you have someone to lean on as I can not imagine someone going through this time alone. Stuck in the house with no one to talk to, and have nothing to do.

So my advice to you is to lean on someone. Find some interests that you can do together and separately.

Use this time to broaden your horizons. If you are going to watch TV, find some good documentaries. 

By the way, I consider Star Trek a documentary.

Read some good books. Get on the internet and LEARN something!!

Want to learn how lawn sprinklers work ?? You can find it on You Tube. Want to learn about electrical and home repairs ?? You can find it on You Tube.  

Please don't spend your time on You Tube watching Russians running into things, or watching crappy comedians who all want to be David Letterman.

Find an interest and LEARN.  

Spend your new free time wisely. The time will go a lot faster.

Got a messy home office ? Clean it.

Behind on paperwork ?? Catch Up !!!

And be thankful that you have someone......and also remember that your neighbor may not have that in their life.

Reach out and check on them. You can talk across the fence or the road. Be there for them. If they need something and you have some,
SHARE.

Check on your family. Call them on the phone. If you know how, you can do face time, Skype, or whatever they call that stuff.
 
Because if you were them (and alone)  you would want someone to lean on too.

I am also reminded of another tune I used to play on the radio.

From Gloria Gaynor :  I WILL SURVIVE

Be well, be happy, and above all BE SMART !!!

SEE YOU NEXT TIME

The Real HICKORY

Anyone who likes sports movies knows the back story on the film “Hoosiers”

Inspired by the 1954 Indiana High School Finals, we find little Hickory facing the favored team from South Bend Central. But very little is true about this movie. Yes, Hickory was a small school from out in the middle of nowhere. And South Bend Central was a powerhouse in Indiana High School basketball. They probably gave Hickory the nickname of “Huskers” to make them sound rural.

In truth, it was tiny MILAN High School taking on state powerhouse Muncie Central for the state championship.

The Bearcats of Muncie Central

The MILAN Indians

Very few people gave Milan much of a chance. Many have forgotten that Milan made it to the final four the year before, so it wasn't that they never played in a big arena. (Another departure from the movie) 

The year before on the way to the 1953 semi finals, Milan would beat Indianapolis Crispus Attucks and future Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson 65-52. (Attucks would win back to back state titles in '55 & '56) The Indians would loose in the semi final that year to none other than South Bend Central 56-37

But in 1954 it was Muncie Central playing the role of the Giant. They already had more state titles than any school in the state. (4) And had won back to back titles in '51 & '52. 

Back in those days, the final four would play two early games. 

Then the two winners would square off for the state title that evening.

In the early games, neither school was threatened. The Bearcats beat Elkhart 59-50 while Milan had a 12 point win over Terre Haute Gerstmeyer 60-48

We all know the rest of the 1954 story. That night, with the score tied (30-30) and time running out. Bobby Plump of Milan hit a 14 foot jumper over Bearcat Jimmy Barnes, and history was made at Hinkle Field House in Indianapolis. At least the movie showed this as it actually happened.

And that brings us to the story of the “real” Hickory High, and the connection to Muncie, Indiana.

In the late 1950's Westinghouse Electric joined a number of manufacturing companies building large facilities in Muncie. 

Westinghouse would erect a new sprawling plant outside of Muncie on Cowen Road.

Many of their management team came from another Westinghouse facility located in Sharon, Pennsylvania.

Most of those 'transfers' were already high school basketball fans. Sharon and nearby Farrell were a hot bed of High School basketball in the 50's and 60's. From 1950 to 1960 Farrell won 4 State titles. The fan frenzy never reached the status of the rabid Indiana fans, but fans are fans no matter where they come from. And they were all anxious to follow the mighty Muncie Central Bearcats.

But in 1961 all those western Pennsylvania fans were watching another school. A little county school located just outside of Sharon in West Central Pennsylvania. It was so small, it wasn't even considered to be a city. Just a Township. Many years later, they would incorporate under the name Hermitage. 

 They were the Hickory Hornets.

They were led by senior John Crumbacher. At 6 foot 6 he was called 'Big John' long before Jimmy Dean recorded a song by the same name. John was also a football player who would be go on to play for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Their play maker on the court was William “Bill” Lenzi. The quick guard, who also shined on the defensive end of the floor, scored 297 points his senior season for the Hornets of coach Francis “Frannie” Webster and set a school record with 25 wins out of 27 games.

In the state semifinals, he led the team with 19 points in an upset of previously undefeated WPIAL champion Mt. Lebanon, making 13 of 16 free throw attempts.

However unlike the Milan and Hickory team in that movie, the fun didn't last. The Hornets would lose to the Nanticoke Rams in the final game in Harrisburg, 56-46.

The Nans defeated Hickory Township in that championship under the direction of head coach Syl Bozinski and with the help of their all-state player Kenny Legins.

The Rams won 20-straight games that season, including a tough 51-47 win over Reading in the Eastern final. It all culminated with the win over Hickory in the Class A championship game at the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg.

And those Hickory players would move on with their lives, always remembering that Golden Season.

Like Milan, Hickory would have some good seasons after that Cinderella trip, but would never again return to the finals.

'Big' John Crumbacher would go on to the University of Tennessee on a football scholarship. Sadly, on the way back to Knoxville from spring break in Brooksville, Florida he would lose his life in a car accident. Also killed was fellow Tennessee team mate Tom Fisher.

Crumbacher and fellow Hickory team mates William "Bill" Lenzi, Gary Roberts, and Fred Greene would all be inducted into the Mercer County PA Hall of fame for that 1960-61 ride to the State Finals.

The people of Muncie never got over that loss to Milan.

To go along with their State Titles from '28, '31, '51, & '52 The Bearcats would win 4 more State Titles  ('63, '78, '79 & '88) 

They would also lose title games in 1960, 2006 & 2007.

The loss in 1960 may have been harder for them to take than the one in 1954 when the undefeated Bearcats, nicknamed ‘The 
Untouchables’ went into the state championship game with East Chicago Washington.

Everyone thought it was a done deal. They hardly worked up a sweat all season. But the gravy train derailed in the final and biggest game of the season. At the end the ‘Cats lost 75-59 and another state title disappeared into the night.

On the 50the anniversary of that 1954 battle, Muncie hosted an anniversary game at the Muncie Field House with Milan.

ESPN Classic broadcast the game nationally. Muncie got to show off their famous field house to the world. 

The North Walnut Street Field House rocked in opposing seas of purple and black. It was Milan and Muncie Central once again, the small-town, country kids against the big boys from the city, played in front of a Who's Who of Indiana basketball past and present and a national television audience.

Most of the 6,700 people in the field house weren't alive on that
magic night 50 years ago when Bobby Plump's last-second shot gave tiny Milan the upset victory over Central's mighty Bearcats.

They would also get a bit of revenge for that 1954 loss by beating Milan 81-40.

But they would have traded all that history and fame in exchange for that 1954 State Title.

IT WAS MORE THAN 'JUST' AN OFFICE CHAIR

       As you go through life, you find yourself attached to many things. Perhaps a car from your college days, that first home, or a best friend. We have all found these things in our life. But I want to talk today about a simple item. For me it was a simple little office chair.

      The year was 1975. Gerald Ford was President, Vietnam was lost, man stopped going to the moon, and the Bearcats still had only five State Basketball Championships.

     I had recently finished my degree at Ball State and was getting ready to take that long walk down the isle and begin married life.

When you are young and starting out in life, you need many things. And also being young, you don't have a ton of cash to begin that new life.

 

      I remember my father and I (along with a tape measure) driving to Sears so we could measure a coffee and end table. I told the salesman that we needed to measure it and verify that it would fit in my new apartment. 

      He swallowed the story hook line and sinker. My goal was to get measurements so I could go to dad's wood shop and make my own coffee and end tables. Like I said. No money. So much for making a fortune as a radio DJ.

      Don't worry, I'll get to the chair in a second.

      We also needed a refrigerator and some basic furnishings. One of my dad's friends came to my rescue.

      Tom Feeney did some contract work for my father at Westinghouse. He had a nice old home off of State Road Three, north of Muncie and invited me to come out and go through some stuff he had in storage. I was told I could have any of it for FREE. Being young and broke, I was not passing up a deal like that.

    So off we went to visit Tom Feeney.

     Tom was one of the nicest, kindest men I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Although I did not know him well, he treated me like one of the family.

     I came away with a kitchen table, chairs, fridge, and a large oak desk. Along with the desk came a nice black office chair. I am sure there were other items, but memories fade. After all, it's been forty three years since that day.

  

    The wedding was in April, and we outfitted our first apartment. 

    We soon moved to Illinois when I was hired as Afternoon DJ and Program Director at WTIM radio. So we outfitted our first house. I had a large office in the basement and spent many hours at that desk sitting in that black office chair. Many times, I would think of Tom Feeney and the kindness he showed a young newlywed, just starting out in life.

      In 1979, I was afforded the opportunity to return to The Muncie area as Operations Director at WMDH / WCTW radio in New Castle. And we outfitted our second home. 

     By this time, the refrigerator had gone to the big appliance center in the sky, but I still had the kitchen table, the oak desk and that office chair.

 

      As life progressed the marriage ended. I moved into an apartment in Muncie. I didn't have room for the desk, but I did get custody of the office chair.

     The chair came with me to Florida in 1989 to my apartment, another house and still another house. It was the only item from that day in 1975 that I still possessed. I never wanted to part with my old friend as it was a large part of my life. I designed a ton of radio stations while sitting in that chair. I talked to people all over the world on my Ham Radio while sitting in that chair. I wrote my two novels in that chair. (Hopefully soon to be published) Many times I would look up and thank that kind man from 1975.

      I don't remember seeing Tom after that day in 1975, but the memory has stayed with me all these years.

      After a long and fun career in Broadcasting, I retired the and of January 2017. My wife Penny and I downsized from a huge Victorian home we had renovated in 1991. We moved to a smaller home, but that office chair came with me, and the memory of Tom Feeney.

   

      However, time had taken its toll on my old friend. The arms were worn, the seat springs non existent. The back of the chair leaned like the Titanic on that cold April night. And when I sat down, that poor chair squealed like Hillary on election night. 

      My sweet wife got tired of hearing the noise all over the house and says to me “It's time to get a new office chair”

     “I can't,” I replied. “I like my chair.”

     “Honey, it's just an old office chair,” she said shaking her head in disgust.

      My heart sank. She just didn't understand. To me it was more than just an office chair.

 

      To make a long story short, she found a nice used office chair for me, and tagged along with me to pick it up in my truck. I think she went along just to make damn sure I picked it up.

      I knew it was time to say goodbye to my friend. Even though Penny didn't understand my feelings for this piece of furniture, I knew she was right.

      So off it had to go to the big tall landfill. As a fitting goodbye, as I lifted my old friend into the back of the Tacoma one of the wheels fell off.

      The chair is gone now, but I discovered that the memories remain. As I sit here in my new chair, I can still think of Tom Feeney and I can smile as I remember the great memories that a simple gift from a friend gave me all those years ago.

      This new chair will never mean as much to me. But then again, I don't have forty three years left to get attached an office chair.

      Life goes on. Penny still doesn't understand my feeling for a chair. But then again, she doesn't understand my love of Indiana High School Basketball. After all, she was raised in West Virginia.

(Just kidding, honey)

See you all, next time.

I HATE PLUMBING !! a.k.a. MY THOUSAND DOLLAR FAUCET

      I like to think that I do many things well. I can build a radio station and when it's completed, I can program it. I do a fair job at wood working, electronics, and computers. If you want to re-wire your house, I'm the dude.

      There are many things I can't do. I sing like a cat caught in a wood chipper. I will never pilot the Star Ship Enterprise, no matter how many Holiday Inn Express's I stay in.

     Which brings me to plumbing. I hate it as much as it hates me. 

     When it comes to plumbing work, I am about as competent as the guy in charge of the Lee Harvey Oswald jail transfer. But every now and then I forget that little tidbit of information.

      I never learn.

      Penny and I have been working feverishly getting our historic home ready to sell. We found a buyer and the home inspectors found a couple of minor things the new owners wanted me to repair. OK, no problem. 'I can do this'.

      I fixed a banister and a couple of windows. Easy jobs. 

     I replaced a couple of cracked window panes. No muss, no fuss. Except for the cut on my finger, but that's another story.

      Then my wife pointed out that the faucet on the claw foot tub had a problem, and we should fix it. It was something that the home inspector missed but I wanted to do the right thing for the new owners who were on their way to Florida from Oregon.

      I had already called the plumber to re set a toilet, so I had him look at the faucet.

      “Can't get parts for it,” he told me. “It's too old.” 

      So Penny and I decided to obtain a nice brand new fixture. Only problem was that the local home center couldn't get one until June. Since the new owners were due to arrive in a week, Penny purchased one on the Internet. 

 

     This is where my life took a turn straight into that really hot place down below. And I don't mean Key West.

      I made the fateful decision to save a dollar or two and install the new fixture myself. 'I can do this', I said. 'It's easy' I said. Me and my big mouth.

      Of course the new faucet was not the same, and some extra parts were needed. Spending a day running all over hells half acre looking for pipe adapters, should have given me a clue as to things to come. 

     But no, I ignored the clues as well as comments from the wife like 'You know how you hate plumbing', 'Just spend the money.' And my all time favorite, 'This is not going to end well.' 

      And why does she keep calling me 'Tim, The Tool Man?'

      But I would not be swayed by her comments. And why should I pay someone to do something that I can do? Besides, 'Anyone can install a simple faucet.'

      I guess the voice in the back of my head was off fishing, watching the game, or something because that little jerk never said a word.

      I installed that faucet three times, and it leaked every time. 'I did everything right' I kept telling myself as I threw tools across the room. As well as turning the air as blue as the cloudless Florida sky on a sunny afternoon.

      After a full day of frustration, I threw in the towel along with a couple of wrenches. Hat in hand I returned home to inform Penny that I had failed.

      In between loud laughter, she said those immortal words. “I told you so.”

      She says those words a lot. I hate those words. It's not the words, or the fact that she says them. It's because she is always right.

      So I called the plumber and made an appointment for him to come fix the leak.

      But wait ….. there's more.

      The plumber man arrived the next day and took the whole faucet apart. Seems I had messed up a gasket as well as some of the pipe threads. And of course the gasket was a special type only available from the manufacturer. 'You need to get parts,' he said. I detected a hint of laughter when he said it.

      So I called the company and was informed that it would take six to eight weeks to obtain the needed part. Thanks for the great customer service. I can not print my response, but those who know me can fill in the blanks.

      I had no choice but to buy another faucet from one of their suppliers. It arrived two days later.

      With tail beneath my legs, I met the nice plumber man at the house and sat on the back porch while he installed the new faucet. My wife had already told me to “stay the hell out of the way. and don't touch anything." And if I behaved, I would not have to hear the plumber laughing hysterically at my incompetence as 'Mister Fix It.'

     So ends my tragic tail of the faucet installation from hell. At least the new owners will have a nice new faucet, along with a box  full of spare parts.

      When I arrived home that afternoon, I noticed that the water softener was leaking. 

      I could not get to the phone fast enough. Penny now has the plumber on speed dial.

     As my dear wife likes to tell people:

     Price of a fancy claw foot tub faucet..... $ 400.00

     Price of another fancy claw foot tub faucet to replace the one Lee screwed up $ 400.00

     Price for a “qualified” plumber to install $ 200.00

     Laughing at my husband........PRICELESS

     I hate plumbing.

OCALA COBRA

I hate snakes. Always have and always will. But this is too funny to pass up.

Last week I posted about how it is nice to see your hometown on the news. And we talked about the Confederate Flag issue. If I had only known.

And now it has happened again.

In case you have been in a vacuum the past few days, a 'Monocled Cobra' escaped from captivity in the middle of an Ocala residential area, a few blocks from an Elementary School.

The news is all over the internet, as well as national TV news. I just hope that people don't get the wrong impression of my home town. It is a great place to live and work. (and retire)

Ocala residents will discuss the legal ramifications of this incident for weeks and months to come. Why will the city allow people to have these poisonous snakes in a residential area, while prohibiting me from having a chicken in my back yard? Its a discussion for a later time.

But right now, Ocalans are having some fun with it. Maybe if we poke fun we will forget that we are all scared right out of our panties. Well, at least I am.

We are also having fun with 'photo shop'.

We have a new 'Welcome to Ocala' sign.

It seems like within minutes of the escape, the snake found a lost I-phone and immediately started to tweet. (trying to keep up with POTUS??) You can follow him at Ocala Cobra‏ @OcalaCobra

And he has even passed on some words of wisdom on his face book page.

This proves my theory that every ONE and every THING has a face book page. 

https://www.facebook.com/ocalacobra/

And of course local business are jumping on the bandwagon.

Have to hand it to them. BRILLIANT !!

You can even order a special "OCALA COBRA" TEE Shirt at  www.ocalacobra.com

BTW, proceeds for this go to Habitat for Humanity. That's a good thing.

All jokes aside, I hate snakes. If I step on one, I run screaming like a little girl. I can also run faster than Jess Owens on a crisp Berlin day.

 

I know what you're thinking. 'If this guy hates snakes so much, why does he live in Florida? 

It's simple, my friends. While my northern friends are digging out from last weeks blizzard, I was enjoying the seventy degree weather. It's a fair trade off.

The Cobra is not the only snake on the loose in my home town. We have a four foot black snake that has taken up residence here at the casa de Freshwater. Penny got mad at me because I named it after the Congressman she used to work for. She said it was an insult...... to the snake.

Be well friends.

And watch where you step.

RETIREMENT

    The day came on January 31, 2017. I counted them down for over a year. After 48 years working in the Broadcasting industry, it was my LAST day in the work force.

    My broadcasting career started in Muncie, Indiana and would ultimately lead me to Florida where I settled in 1989. I worked for a number of radio stations over the years, did some Computer Tech Support for Broadcasters, and finished my career at Broadcasters General Store,  selling equipment to Radio & TV stations all over the world. It was the best experience of my life.
     

 
     It was a great ride and I was fortunate to meet and work with a bunch of GREAT people. And a few who were not. I made many life long friends, and frankly had a 'blast'.

    But the day came to say goodbye and honestly friends, I have not looked back. 

     Penny says I wake up every morning with this crazy grin on my face. She tells me I am no longer 'stressed' and seem to be happier than ever. I am.

    The first thing my wife and I did was to embark on a ten day cruise to he Panama Canal aboard the Holland America Zuiderdam. 

     It was a great retirement cruise.

                  

    But what do you do when you retire? How do you fill the time?

    My answer is simple. 'What ever the hell you want to do.'

    I have always been a 'do-er'. Penny says I go 200 MPH all the time. "Slow down" she keeps telling me. But I don't slow down, and have no plans to do so.

    I have many interests in life. Our dogs, tropical fish, Wood Working, Florida Football and basketball, old TV shows, Movies, and a strong passion to write. Now I have the time for these things.

                  

    My latest en devour is learning how to cook. It's something I have always wanted to do. Penny wants me to learn in case that idiot on the road 'texting' takes her out. You can follow that en devour at killitcutitupandcookit.blogspot.com

    But being retired has taken some getting used to. I still go to bed early get up early. My routine is coffee, a banana I share with the President, and thirty minutes of local news. (it's all I can stand) A quick check of Facebook, then it's on to the days errands. I like to
do those as early as possible. Since I was always at the office by 7 AM, I have not seen daytime traffic in Ocala in over 16 years so I was completely surprised at how many people are out and about during the day. While I was working this city got larger.

     I always marvel at people who's only interest is their job. Yes, I worked hard and always gave a hundred per cent, but I always wanted more in life. I surrounded myself with many interests and hobbies. I even renewed my Amateur Radio License, (KE4QLK) just in case I become active in that hobby again. I was asked by many if I wanted to do some outside consulting. I explained that I would do it for $400.00 and hour. I don't think I'll get any takers. That was the idea. 'It was sarcasm, Sheldon'. 

    What are people that work all the time going to do when they retire ? They probably won't retire. That's fine for them, but not for me.

    So if you need me, I'll be in the workshop making saw dust, or the kitchen burning something, or my office writing. I may be in the yard playing with Grover Cleveland, or watching the Gators on my big screen.

     Or watching one of my 4000 DVD's. I'll be having FUN. I deserve it, and I earned it.

    I know where you won't find me. I won't be working for someone else.

    I'll keep you posted.

    All the best.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ??

    This is a question I have been asked recently. Along with "Have you stopped writing?"

     NO, I have not stopped writing, but a few things have limited my time. My first book is finished and the two sequels are almost completed. We are searching for an Agent to work with us. That has not been an easy job. I have also started a forth novel, so I have been extremely busy.

     I found it hard to work fifty hours a week, and do all the other things in life that we needed to do, so something had to take a back seat.

     I have a friend who told me once that you only have so much room on your "plate". For every new thing you add to this 'plate' you have to remove something to make room.

    The biggest project has been our new retirement home renovation and some work on the big house getting it ready to sell. All in preparation of my pending retirement.

 
     Well, the new house is done and I am officially retired from the Broadcasting industry.

    So I know have the time for other passions in life. So you will be hearing more form me in the future.

     I am also learning to cook, along with my woodworking hobby. I am keeping busy.

    And if you know anyone who needs a 3 bedroom in the Historic District, let me know.

     All the best

    

THE WRONG FLAG ?

     Here is something I wrote a couple of years ago and forgot about. In cleaning out some files I found it again and thought I would share it with you. I normally stay away from Politics and Religion, but this one I feel strongly about. 
 
     It's always nice to see your hometown in the news. And for me  that means Ocala, Fl.

    We live in central Florida, some thirty minutes south of  Gainesville and ninety minutes north west of Orlando. The Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west are just short drives away. Not to mention the 'Mouse House' in Orlando.

    Everyone knows that our most famous resident is John Travolta. It's great sitting in our back yard as that famous jet flies overhead on the way to a private air strip north of town.

    We are also the hometown of the 60's pop band 'The Royal Guardsmen'. Tom Petty was raised just north of Ocala in Gainesville.  Bo Diddley spent his last years in Archer, just north of us. Steve Morse also lives here and can occasionally be seen at the downtown Ocala Starbucks.

     Who, you ask? Steve is the guitarist for 'Deep Purple.' And many years ago I met the sound man for 'Blue Oyster Cult' at a dinner party. He lived just down the street.

    Some famous people have come and gone. Actor Patrick O'Neal was born and raised here. Reba McEntire boarded her horses near Ocala, and the late New York Yankee owner George Steinbrener owned a large motel just off of I-75.

    But recently, Ocala was in the news for a completely different reason.

    About twenty years ago, the Marion county commission decided it would be a good idea to display the five flags of all the countries that at one time ruled over the state of Florida. So they erected the flags at the government complex on the east side of town.

    Soon the flags of United States, Great Britain, France, Spain, and the Confederacy swayed in the breeze above the complex.

    And all was well.

     Until that terrible day in Charleston, when a lone gunman went to a Bible study meeting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and murdered nine innocent people during a prayer service. What a coward.

     Authorities found that gunman Dylann Roof had a web site that included a manifesto detailing his beliefs on race, as well as photographs showing him posing with emblems associated with white supremacy. His photos of the Confederate Battle Flag started a new debate over its public display.

     Soon cries were heard demanding the  removal of the flag. Tempers were raised and a protest was held.

     The flag was removed for a time, but soon the Commission citing 'historical accuracy' ordered the flag restored.

     More protests ensued.     

     Those who wanted the flag removed cried, “the flag is a symbol of racism”.

     I have no answer to that statement. To me, it was never my flag. I was born 86 years after the civil war came to an end. And, as we all know, history has a way of being re-written. And that war was 150 years ago. All those involved are long dead and buried. Isn't time we did the same thing?

     Should we remove all the flags, make it so we never have to look at them again? Do we ban all use of the 'Stars and Bars'? Wouldn't that be infringing on other peoples rights given to them by our own Constitution?

    All because that low life skum in Charleston honored the confederate flag? Should we ban boxer shorts as well? (I am making an assumption here)
 
     Do we let Dylann Roof win?

    The flag did not murder those innocent people. A human did. Just like at Columbine, The West Nickel Mines School, Virginia Tech, and of course 9-11.

     Let's put the blame where it belongs.

     In our society, we have people who do not belong or deserve to be with the rest of us. They can not function in our society. Some are mental, some are just bad seeds. And it has nothing to do with the flag they carry.

     Don't we have more to worry about ? More important problems to solve?

     As a white man I can not imagine how the black community feels about the flag. I would be a hypocrate if I claimed to “feel their pain.”   But I will say this: I never owned a slave. The thought of it goes against everything within my being. I am sure my ancestors owned slaves back in the old days, but that has nothing to do with me.

     I went to an inner city Indiana High School in the late 60's. I never had a problem. I played sports next to black kids, I marched in the band and I studied with them. I was friends with them. We survived the terrible year of 1968 together.

     I hold true to what Dr. King said. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."  And I have tried to live my life that way.

     Should we forget about the Confederate flag and what it represented? Should we forget about Nazi Germany and what those fascists did? Will you ever forget 9-11?

     I say 'hell no!'

     George Santayana wrote in Volume One of Reason in Common Sense, 'Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

     We should honor the southern heritage. And that flag is a part of that heritage. Our ancestors were not perfect and neither are we.

     I came here from the north. I tell people that I'm 'Northern by birth and Southern by choice.'

     Leave the flag flying. And when we walk past it with our kids and/or grandchildren, lets remind them of where we all came from and how we got here. Those five flags are a part of our Florida history. Let's not deprive our young of a chance to learn about Florida history. Teach them who we are and where we are going as a society. Let's show them by our own actions that racism is wrong and not tolerated in our society.Show them that in today's world you can be anything and anyone you desire.

     Let's honor Dr. King and show them our 'character'.

     For those who hate the flag, look at it and be proud of your ancesters who lived through those horrible times. Honor them by holding your head high. Marvel at how far we as a society have come.
 
      We have come a long way and still have far to go. But we are making progress. Don't let one crack pot in South Carolina ruin what we have accomplished over the last fifty years.

     Let's stop focusing on a past that we had no part of and can not change. We should be moving forward, not backwards.

     Use the tradgedy in Charleston as a way to open up a dialogue. If we bow to 'political correctness', we are doomed as a society.
   
    All the best.

NOTE: Pictures are from the Ocala Star Banner