Friday, January 22, 2010

“Possum Philosophy: A good man - Southwest Virginia Today” plus 3 more

“Possum Philosophy: A good man - Southwest Virginia Today” plus 3 more

Possum Philosophy: A good man - Southwest Virginia Today

Posted: 22 Jan 2010 02:34 PM PST

By ROBERT CAHILL/Columnist

Once again, I have lost a dear friend. Part of the problem is getting older. Much older than, as a youth, I ever expected to live. See I figured to follow the old adage of many of the callous young men of my era, "Live Fast, Die Young, Leave a Pretty Corpse and a Lot of Beautiful Grieving Young Women!"
I have come to realize that now it is far too late to die young. There may be a grieving beautiful woman or two, but the vast majority of surviving friends and interested people will likely be thinking, "How did that old fool make it as long as he did?" I wish this could be a funny column, maybe make everyone smile and laugh a little. Sadly it cannot.
The friend I lost was a good friend to many, especially the area's older folks, lower-income families and me. He was also a gentleman and a truly good guy to darn near everyone he knew. He was former Glade Spring Town Council member Elmer Johnson.
When I first started working for the News & Messenger, I was assigned to cover the town councils of Saltville, Chilhowie and Glade Spring as well as the Smyth County Board of Supervisors. It was through my time spent covering Glade Spring that Elmer Johnson and I became friends.
I want to point out that the rules of good newspaper journalism require one to use a subject's last name after the first reference to them in the story. However, I think I will stick with Elmer here. For one thing he was a buddy. For another he was one of the most unassuming, unpretentious souls I ever met, and I believe he would prefer Elmer, just Elmer. Not Mr. Johnson, though he certainly deserves the respect it entails. No Councilman (or former Councilman) Johnson. Just Elmer, he was that kind of fellow.
A few years ago, I wrote a feature story for the SCN&M on Elmer. We spent a couple of hours just sitting and talking—about him, something he would be the first to tell you he would rather not do. But I think he secretly enjoyed the experience.
He spoke about what it was like for African-Americans growing up in the 1920 and 1930s in southwestern Virginia. I guess I was a little surprised that he was not full of animosity or at least some anger, but he was not. And knowing the kind of fellow Elmer was. I should not have been surprised anyway.
Elmer spoke of going to segregated schools. He told of being teased and called names including the N-word by some of the white kids (and adults) they sometimes passed on their way to school. He admitted it hurt. But he also said most folks didn't bother him and that the ones who did, did so because they didn't know any better.
"As I got older, I learned those folks just didn't know any better. And you know what, a few of them became my friends after we grew up," Elmer said. "I may have been mad at them when we were kids, but no I don't hold no grudges against them now. I try not to hold no grudges against anybody." And as I got to know Elmer better over the years I was firmly convinced he meant every word of that statement. Elmer also talked about being poor, "Back then we was poor, but so was everybody else. We didn't feel any different from anybody else. Poor people had to stick together. We still do," he laughed.
Elmer was above all else a family man. His wife and children were his pride and joy. He was always proud of his children and their families. The tragic loss of one of his daughters, Gina, was devastating to both Elmer and his lovely wife, Elvena.
Elmer went to work at United States Gypsum Company. "I needed a job, had a family to take care of. Turned out to be one of the best things I ever did," he said. He found one. Elmer worked there for 41 years finally retiring from the company.
Unlike some people, Elmer didn't retire to rest and do nothing. That's when he really got busy. He continued to serve as a member of the Glade Spring Town Council, which he served for 28 years. But he considered his working with the town's senior citizens most important. And for many of the area's older residents, Elmer was a blessing.
Several have told me over the years that they would not know what to do without Elmer. If you had a doctor's appointment and no way to get there, Elmer would drive you. Getting low on groceries and couldn't get out to get them, call Elmer. Same went for prescriptions or darn near anything.
I think something Elmer said that day impressed me more than anything I had heard in a long time, simply because I knew he was sincere when he said it. "I don't pay no attention to anybody's color or their money. Just like when I was a boy, we are all poor people around here and we have got to stick together and help one another. Help each other anyway we can. That's what's important."
That pretty well sums up my friend Elmer's philosophy on life. With his passing, his family lost a wonderful father. The town of Glade Spring lost a wonderful leader who wanted only the best for his community. The poor and the elderly lost a great helper and a champion for their rights and needs. And me, well, I lost a good friend. I'm going to miss him; every time I drive through Glade Spring, I will think about him. He was a good man.

A freelance journalist, Robert "Rocky" Cahill writes regularly for the News & Messenger. His Possum Philosophy column appears in each Saturday edition. 

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Kelly accepting flexibility more than philosophy in recruiting wars - CNN Sports Illustrated

Posted: 22 Jan 2010 10:02 AM PST

As he stood on the field at Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium last April, Brian Kelly explained his recruiting philosophy. At Grand Valley State, Central Michigan and Cincinnati, Kelly had to zero in on the players the big boys didn't want. At one point in the conversation, these words passed his lips.

"I'm not comfortable with four-star guys," Kelly said.

Last week, Kelly arrived at the American Football Coaches Association convention wearing a tie festooned with a leprechaun pugilist. A pin bearing the letters N and D gleamed proudly from Kelly's lapel. The conversation turned to his recruiting philosophy, prompting an obvious question. Now that he's the coach at Notre Dame, how does Kelly feel about four-star (and five-star) recruits?

"I don't really know that my philosophy has changed relative to the process," Kelly said. "I can project because of my background. I think I'll continue to do that, so maybe I won't be necessarily just about four- and five-star guys. But as it relates to this year, right now, that's who's been recruited. Those have been identified by the former staff, and I'm really just trying to reel this one in."

Kelly had better hope Weis used high-test line. This week, he had an in-home visit scheduled with St. Paul, Minn., offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, a 6-foot-8, 345-pounder considered by Rivals.com to be the nation's top offensive line prospect and the No. 2 overall prospect. Wednesday, Kelly visited Dietrich Riley, a safety from La Canada, Calif., who also is considering USC and UCLA.

Kelly probably appreciates Henderson's approach to the recruiting process. Henderson hasn't committed to anyone. He's barely even hinted at a favorite.

Now that Kelly works at a school that attracts in-demand recruits, he has had to wrap his brain around the liquid definition of commitment as it relates to recruiting. When he arrived last month, Kelly's plan was to honor every commitment to Charlie Weis' staff -- provided the player didn't plan to still entertain other offers. "If there were kids that wanted to take other visits, then I made it clear that you're not committed," Kelly said. "I think I experienced that more than I had at any other school. That, 'I'm committed, but I'm taking my visit to XYZ school.' Well, you're not committed then. Let's get that straight. Other than that, I think it's pretty much been, if you're committed, let's make sure we finish this off."

Of all people, Kelly should understand that the process isn't that simple at this level. He spent the past month getting blasted for bailing on his undefeated Cincinnati team before the Sugar Bowl. Sometimes, people have to look out for No. 1.

That was the case with Andrew Hendrix, a quarterback from Cincinnati's Moeller High who committed to Weis last June. As the Fighting Irish floundered down the stretch last season, Hendrix realized the coaching staff he committed to might get fired. The most politically charged position in recruiting is quarterback. Coaches identify their guy early, and if a coach gets fired, the quarterback has no idea whether the next coach will honor a commitment or bring in his own guy. "I started thinking that I cannot be left out in the cold if thing turns south," Hendrix said this week. "That's when I started to entertain some of the schools that were still talking to me."

During the weeks Notre Dame didn't have a coach, Hendrix spoke to other coaches. He was intrigued most by Scot Loeffler, the quarterbacks coach at Florida, and he told Loeffler he would visit Gainesville in early January.

When Hendrix visited Notre Dame for the first time since Kelly's hiring, Hendrix told Kelly about the impending visit to Florida. "He was a little upset about it, and rightfully so," Hendrix said. "He came in thinking I was 100 percent in."

Fortunately for Kelly, he's smart enough to know that an in or out policy isn't exactly prudent at this stage of the process, and he probably knew he would have looked downright hypocritical had he yanked Hendrix's offer for doing essentially the same thing Kelly did a month earlier. Plus, he could have missed out on a very good quarterback. After a frank discussion, Kelly softened. A few minutes later, Hendrix said, he and Kelly were chatting like old friends.

It turned out Kelly had nothing to worry about. Hendrix enjoyed his visit to Florida, but it didn't sway him. Last week, Hendrix told Kelly he was 100 percent in. "Being Catholic and going to a Catholic high school," Hendrix said, "it's always a dream to go to Notre Dame."

As for the rest of the class, Kelly has kept most of the players who pledged to Weis with a pair of notable exceptions. Defensive end Chris Martin, the highest-rated player to commit to Weis, had reopened his recruitment before Weis was fired and now plans to sign with Cal. Meanwhile, Kelly is fighting to keep Giovanni Bernard, a running back from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who decided to entertain offers from North Carolina and Oregon State after the firing.

Five players -- quarterback Tommy Rees (Lake Forest, Ill.), receiver Tai-ler Jones (Gainesville, Ga.), safety Chris Badger (Provo, Utah), cornerback Lo Wood (Apopka, Fla.) and cornerback Spencer Boyd (Cape Coral, Fla.) -- already have begun taking classes in South Bend. One potential star, 320-pound Jacksonville, Fla., defensive tackle Louis Nix, said in an interview last month that he is solid to Notre Dame. With new Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Bob Diaco installing the same 3-4 he brought to Cincinnati last season, Nix would make a perfect anchor at nose tackle.

In the months after Kelly finishes his current fishing expedition on national signing day, he'll provide a better idea of how he'll approach recruiting now that a lot more doors are open to him. We'll have to see if he can enforce his you're-in-or-you're-out policy when he's recruiting four- and five-star players against some of the nation's best programs, but Kelly seems confident Notre Dame will give him the advantage he needs. "When you have the weight of a university that can carry the day over a coach, that's a good feeling," Kelly said. "Then I just have to make sure I don't mess it up."

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WWU lecture about wisdom Feb. 10 - Bellingham Herald

Posted: 22 Jan 2010 02:26 PM PST

BELLINGHAM - Dennis Whitcomb, who teaches philosophy at Western Washington University, will give a lecture about wisdom on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

"Wisdom in Mind and Action," is the third installment of the school year in WWU's Turning Points faculty lecture series.

The lecture will start at 5:15 p.m. in Communications Facility room 110. The lecture is free and open to the public.

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BOOK REVIEW: Anne Tyler in usual top form in ‘Noah’s Compass’ - Herald News

Posted: 22 Jan 2010 02:48 PM PST

Anne Tyler takes ordinary people and shows the reader how fascinating those people can be. In her latest novel, "Noah's Compass," that person is Liam Pennywell, a very laid-back man of 61 who has just been fired.

Like the biblical Noah, who rode the waters of the great flood without a compass, Pennywell has drifted through life. His personal philosophy is to avoid anything that will take an emotional toll.

He tries to make the announcement of his job termination as easy as possible on his boss and moves quickly to cut expenses.

"It wasn't such a good job, anyhow. He'd been teaching fifth grade in a second-rate private boys' school. Fifth grade wasn't what he'd been trained for. Teaching wasn't what he'd been trained for. His degree was in philosophy."

Far more distressing is a missing spot in his memory. This occurs on the first night in his new apartment, which he'd rented to save money. He goes contentedly to bed, only to wake up in a hospital with no memory of what happened. It's a constant worry, even as Pennywell recovers from a concussion and a vicious bite on his hand.

"His lost memory was like a physical object just beyond his grasp. He could feel the strain in his head. It made the throbbing even worse."

His family doesn't understand his obsession about failing to remember what happened, especially since it was painful and apparently frightening.

On a trip to see a doctor about his lack of memory, Pennywell meets a "rememberer," a young woman who helps an elderly businessman ward off his failure to remember things, and hits on the idea that she can help him.

Eunice Dunstead, with her shapeless fashions, smudged eyeglasses and guileless manner, takes on an allure that he can't shake. She returns his feelings because Pennywell, unlike everyone else in her life, seems interested in her.

Eunice is unable to help him remember the night he's so desperate to remember, but does open him up to other memories. Those memories show him how distant he's been to his family.

This is Tyler's 18th novel, and if not on a level with her best, she's very much at home in her funny, sad tale of wasted moments and unexamined lives.

"Noah's Compass" would be better with a more resolved conclusion to Pennywell's romance with Dunstead. Still, it's a pleasant trip through another of Tyler's ordinary lives.

 

 

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