By
Stephanie Porter-NicholsPublished: August 31, 2010By ROBERT "ROCKY" CAHILL/Columnist
Wednesday, I took my mother-in-law to Wally World to pick up a few things she needed. Due to health problems, she no longer drives (which is probably for the best, both for her and her fellow drivers.)
While there I ran into a gentleman I met there sometime back. He is Dr. Dempsey Morgan, a 90 year old retired physician. He is very pleasant and entertaining, an extremely nice fellow with all his mental faculties still in good shape. That alone would make him fascinating, but what I really found fascinating about him is that he was World War II pilot, a member of the Tuskegee Airman. These guys were the first all African-American group of fighter pilots. They escorted US bombers over the European Theater and compiled a remarkable record for protecting the bombers with which they flew. He and I agreed that we would do an interview sometime.
This started me thinking of the fascinating people I have met over the years. Many of these meetings took place due to my work as a reporter, others just by happenstance. For instance I once met Senator Harry Byrd. The Byrd family had been a major factor in Virginia's government and politics almost from the beginning of the state. He was a major player on both the state and federal stage.
Sen. Byrd looked every bit the part of a US Senator as well. Dressed to the nines as my grandmother used to say. Silver hair with not a hair out of place. And a voice that could either charm the birds out of the trees or freeze the hearts of those who raised his ire.
I was seated next to Sen. Byrd at a dinner. I was somewhat nervous as he was a power on the national front, a fellow who could make things happen. However, I was soon put at ease by the him. He was polite, charming, and had an excellent sense of humor. He was and still remains in my opinion, the very model of what a true Southern gentleman looked and acted like.
Another fellow I enjoyed meeting was Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas. I met him at a dinner one night when he was running for US Vice-President in 1988. He looked like a tall, stern Texas Baptist minister. Again he was completely different from what I expected. He was intelligent, liked his liquor straight with just a cube or two of ice, knowledgeable on many subjects from government to sports and a heck of a story teller.
While I have long had an interest in political figures, it is not my sole interest. I have been fortunate to meet several people in the musical field. Two of my favorite interviews were with the group .38 Special and with Henry Paul, at the time with the country-rock group Blackhawk.
I met the guys from .38 Special in a somewhat unusual fashion. My old friend Larry Delp, an accomplished musician and performer himself, had been spending some time in Florida. While there he became acquainted with the Van Zant family of Lynyrd Skynyrd and .38 Special fame. He became especially fond of Lacey Van Zant the father of the musical clan. After returning home, he was showing me some photos of the elder Van Zant at his Florida home. The walls were lined with Gold Records and other awards earned by his boys.
Larry suggested I do an interview with Lacey Van Zant. As this would be a definitely different point of view than the numerous stories and interviews written about his sons, I thought it a good idea. He arranged a telephone interview for me. Lacey Van Zant turned out to be a really nice guy, a working class dad whose sons just happened to hit it big. He was justifiably proud of his kids. The interview went very well and several people told me how much they enjoyed reading it. When it appeared, Larry took Van Zant several copies for him to give his friends and family. Van Zant was very pleased with it and so were the boys. It was the first time anyone had interviewed Lacey and wrote his story of raising his sons.
As fate had it, this article came out just about this time of year. .38 Special was one of the headliners at the Appalachian Fair held annually at Gray TN. The group asked Larry if he could arrange for me to come and meet them. Of course I didn't turn the opportunity down. Terry and our friend Michele Miller (a huge .38 Special fan,) went along hoping to meet the band. I am a big fan and wanted to meet the guys too.
We watched the first show then headed back stage. Terry was less a fan than Michelle & I, so she stayed to keep our seats. After a brief mix-up with the security guy at the back-stage entrance, who claimed we were not on the approved list, we finally got in. The band had found out about the foul-up and sent him to escort us back to meet them. They were busy greeting fans and signing autographs through the security fence. The things that impressed me most were their politeness and good manners. They said "yes sir," or "yes ma'am," to everyone. And although over the years I am sure they had signed thousands of autographs, they acted like they were tickled to death that anyone would want their autograph.
We finally got to talk a bit and they were great guys. Donnie Van Zant said his Dad ordered him to make sure I knew how much he enjoyed the story about him. They all posed for photos, including one of Donnie and Danny Chauncey (one of the guitarists,) kissing our friend Michele. They told me they hoped I would come down to Florida some day so they could show me around their home-place. Sadly, Lacey passed away not too long afterward.
Another favorite interview I wrote was with Henry Paul. For those who may not know or, are getting a little older with less dependable memory, Henry Paul was one original members of the Southern Rock group the Outlaws, who have several successful albums but whose biggest hit was probably the rock anthem "Green Grass and High Tides."
At the time we met, Paul was performing with the country-rock group Blackhawk, one of Terry's favorites. The group was to play at a fund-raiser for the Saltville Rescue Squad and I had done a pre-show story about them. I interviewed Paul by phone a couple of times and found out he was just a down-home type guy. After a few minutes I felt like we were old friends. He asked that I come backstage after the show to meet him in person and I quickly agreed. The folks at the Rescue Squad asked me how many gate passes I would need to get in the show and after asking my fellow employees at the SCN&M, none of whom could make it, I asked for four, as my step-daughter Melissa wanted to go, as did my brother Rusty who is an Outlaws fan and wanted to meet Henry too.
At the time, the newspaper had a publisher who was, well let's just say somewhat difficult to work with (or you might say a jerk or a couple of profane descriptions I preferred.) The day of the concert he informed me he and his wife (who was a bit of a loon,) would be attending. When I said I had only four tickets, he more or less ordered me to see they got in. I checked and the Squad folks said no problem. Then when time came to meet the band, here came he and his wife. Again I explained they had not been on the list and he made it plain in a less than subtle way that my job just might depend on their getting to meet the band. Fortunately the guy in charge of such understood my plight and arranged for them to come in.
By then I was so flustered that when I finally got to meet Henry and started to introduce the folks with me I said, "Henry this is one of your biggest fans and my fiancée, (I would have sworn I said Terry, however I apparently called her by the publisher's wife's name as he was actually pushing me from behind to introduce her.)" Now obviously she was not happy and quickly introduced herself and icily told to me I had used the wrong name. Everyone but Terry and I thought this was hilarious. Henry grinned and said "Boy Rock, you are in trouble now." Needless to say it took a bit for Terry to forgive me and she still mentions the incident occasionally.
As I said earlier, through the years I have met many interesting folks; some such as the ones I mentioned have been celebrities. But many more have been just the good folks who live here in the beautiful Southern Highlands. And though, like anyone, I may occasionally be a little star-struck, many of my favorite interviews have been with my friends and neighbors here at home.
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