FREEDOM IS NOT FREE…IT HAS COME AT A GREAT PRICE…

On every day we should remember the price paid for the freedom we enjoy, regardless of how messy and dysfunctional it has become. A few years ago a grocery store chain, Food City, produced an incredibly meaningful ad, especially poignant for Memorial Day. You may be among the millions who have viewed it. I have…

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A FORTRESS AND A LEGACY…MY MEANINGFUL GIFT

What was promised in my last post on this site…has become a reality. The book that I have invested over a half a decade in researching and writing has been released. It is now available at A FORTRESS AND A LEGACY! (http://afortressandalegacy.com/) As the subtitle says, it is truly “The Gift of a WW2 Bombardier’s…

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Cruze, Majors and Lawson, Lift David McMahan’s Spirits!

David McMahon In today’s fast paced (as fast as it can be at our age) world, it is truly heartwarming to see friends and acquaintances rally around a hurting brother. Well, it was not surprising when we saw this happen recently with some East High graduates. Hundreds at least, and probably more, have been humbled…

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Hail the World War II Veterans!

“The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” -Benjamin Disraeli   Some heroes are born, while some are made. Some heroes fight war, while some are victims. Some heroes save lives, while some sacrifice their own. Heroism comes from within. It’s the soul of a…

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“Hey Big Lo…I love you my friend!”

Saturday afternoon October 29, Charles “Bud, Big Lo” Lobetti passed from this life to a much better place.  His physical absence from the body of East High grads leaves a gigantic hole and hundreds of shocked and intensely saddened friends.  I miss him now and always will. I think “Big Lo” is a moniker he…

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Knoxville High School WWII Casualties

If you were born in Knoxville or have spent a number of years there, you are certainly familiar with Knoxville High School and the stately brick structure on Fifth Avenue that was home to KHS students for 41 years.  The Albert Bauman, Sr. designed building, first occupied in the fall of 1910, stands to this…

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September 11th…Reflection and Projection

Ten years to the day from the infamy of 9/11, I can remember in vivid chronological detail where I was, what I felt and what I did on that day.  A dollar to a donut says you can too…virtually everyone who was a teen or older on that day can do likewise.  It’s not something…

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Remembering and Preserving a Family Heritage

She told me she was tired.  She didn’t have to, I knew.  Her voice was soft, which it always was, but it was also weak, which it never was.  Further, she wasn’t up scurrying around trying to make sure everyone had everything they needed.  “More tea, how ’bout a hot roll, can I get you…

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Bob Polston. . . .Builder of Men!

I first met Bob Polston in 1955.  He was 21, but seemed much older.  I was 14, and felt much younger. Bob was coaching a Little League baseball team from the Boy’s Club that played games at the Chilhowee Park field on Magnolia.  The “Midway” of  the annual Tennessee Valley A & I Fair was…

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