Church was a big part of my childhood in Gallatin, Missouri. That included Sunday School and church, of course. But this also included the monthly church suppers where the food was GREAT and Sunday evening Methodist Youth Fellowship (yes, sometimes Mom had to “encourage” my attendance there). But my favorite (no nudging needed) was the […]
Since I was the editor’s kid, it seemed in clubs and organizations, the first job I always had was Reporter. I might rather have been asked to be President or Treasurer and sometimes those things came along, but Reporter was always first. After all, this seemed to be efficient, right? 4-H Reporter Training But I […]
“Junior” McDonald was almost always on a corner near the school as class was dismissed, waving to us from his little flat scooter. And my friends and I never paid him much heed. What a shame. He could have taught us some things. Birth Defect in HIs Legs Charles “Junior” McDonald suffered from a kind […]
Editing Dad’s Work I’ve gained some important personal insights while editing my father’s books for republication as Kindle ebooks and Amazon paperbacks. And it has been downright depressing. Why? What I realize in reading these is that Mom and Dad were much wiser than I appreciated and respected. Don’t most adults realize this at some […]
Imagine the scene: A well-known car, belonging to the editor of the local weekly newspaper, is spotted in a remote area of town with the parking lights on at dusk. The editor appears to be inside by himself… or is he? That’s the predicament my father found himself in one night on May 1, 1959. […]
Big Men Born Here? A stranger walked into the Gallatin Democrat newspaper office one morning and asked: “Any big men born here?” The editor, “Uncle Wes” Robertson, replied, “Nope, just babies.” Now That’s Nervous! There’s this lady in Gallatin who is the most nervous person I have ever seen. Her husband admits she’s a problem. […]
It’s amazing what you find in old files! I was going through some of my dad’s old Post Scripts columns for a new project, when I found one about immigration and border walls during the George W. Bush administration. Here’s what he published in The Gallatin North Missourian on April 19, 2008: Steel Curtain “They […]
I’m thinking of former Vice President Joe Biden’s struggle now with the accusations he’s made women feel uncomfortable with his pats, hugs and kisses in public places. This reminds me of a column my father wrote in Post Scripts in 1972 about Senator Edward Muskie. Biden’s Lesson That Times Have Changed Vice President Biden is learning […]
I guess I’m the only person who has a complete 11-issue collection of The Gallamo, the high school newspaper I started and edited as a senior at Gallatin High School. The name Gallamo actually existed before in mimeograph form. But the newspaper hadn’t been in existence for a number of years when I revived it […]
For a decade and a half my father labored hard to build support for a dam on the Grand River that he was sure would renew economic growth and energy in Northwest Missouri. It seemed that every few days, he would be going somewhere to make a speech, taking a trip to the state capital […]