And Thus It Begins

Nov. 6, 2010

Why “Keeper of the Buckskin?” When I was an 8-year-old, third-grade Cub Scout, “Keeper of the Buckskin” was how I signed my weekly reports to the local daily newspaper in Opelika, Ala. It was also what I would call my column when I edited a small chain of weekly newspapers in Southern Indiana in the late ’80s and early ‘90s of the last century. I considered calling this “Faith, Family and Football,” because most of my ramblings will likely fall under one of those categories.

It was at Northside Elementary in Opelika that I recall being given an assignment to “publish” my own newspaper. It was a sheet of paper, front and back, but I took the project seriously, and as many writers do, I wrote about what I knew. My dog Roby (rhymes with Kobe, our current kitten) was running loose in the neighborhood and I was following him around, writing stories about his wanderings. I also started keeping a journal in elementary school. “Walked to the store, bought a Coke and three candy bars, spent a quarter.” I didn’t say I’ve lived an interesting life, but the truth is I have.

I’ve lived a few decades beyond that, met many people (at least a hundred you’d call “famous”), traveled halfway around the world, had more than my share of adventures, and I don’t mind talking about most of it. So I will from time to time. And I hope you’ll take the time to drop by and read when you can. I really do tend to procrastinate, but the plan is to post something here about once every three days or so…

As previously mentioned I edited a small chain of newspapers for a while. I also edited my college newspaper, The Chanticleer, at Jacksonville State University in Alabama for two years (1980-82), was a sportswriter and sports editor for the Jeffersonville (Ind.) Evening News in the mid-to-late ‘80s, and briefly published my own sports monthly, “The Southern Indiana Sports Herald,” in the ‘90s. In 2003 I won a first place award for an unpublished (still) non-fiction book I wrote. And I’ve been on the Internet almost daily since its inception, or its public debut anyway, in 1989. I’ve had a couple of unsuccessful (so far) runs at trying to be a hit songwriter in Muscle Shoals (Ala.) and Nashville.

I was born in Montgomery and grew up in Alabama, and according to David Housel, former sports information director and athletic director at Auburn, I’m the biggest Auburn fan on the Internet. Big Dave was known around the Loveliest Village on the Plains as “Mr. Auburn,” so he should know. I hold a B.A. degree from Jax State in political science with a minor in English, and a Master of Divinity from the Billy Graham School at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, so two of my favorite topics are what you’re not supposed to talk about in polite company, politics and religion. I will occasionally give an opinion on both.

And we’ll call this the end of my first blog post, because there’s still some college football left to watch. And maybe a horse race…