May 21, 2011 Armed Forces Day

A big salute is in order for all active and former members of this country's armed services. Today is Armed Forces Day and of all the things I regret not doing is serving in one of the branches of the military. In February of 1971 Scotty McClain, Buddy Bentley, Butch Henderson, Drek Dingler, and me went on a bus to Atlanta to take our physicals for the U. S. Army. The test was given near the old Sears building on Ponce De Leon Avenue. After several hours of standing in line, single file, with no talking to the other fellows in line. It was almost like we were already IN the military. The military doctors told some of us to go home. We boarded the bus back home and it was a pretty quiet ride back. Buddy Bentley went and served in the United States Marine Corps in the Portuguese Azores Islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Butch, Scotty, and I shared a geography class at West Georgia. Our teacher became my favorite I had in college. Dr. John Upchurch is retired after stints after West Georgia at Valdosta State and North Georgia College and State University. He spoke of us as the "Tallapoosa Mafia." Kennesaw State had their graduations back on the 10th and the 11th. 51 of the some 500 graduates were in my classes at one time or another the past 3 years. Michael Romeo earned his degree in communication and did so while serving active duty in the United States Army. A student from Newton County, Brian Harper wants to be a sports broadcaster and I will be willing to bet all the money in Buckhead that he will be on ESPN someday. Cory Shaun McGinnis was a thoughtful and quiet student and he will be anchoring a newscast someday in a major television market. Thomas Flugum, Jr. is going to law school. Mary Lewis was always reading a book outside of class. She is going to graduate school to get a master's degree in library science. One former student who just graduated also has a passion for sports and will be writing for either Sports Illustrated or the Sporting News in the not so distant future. Amy Gary reminds me of a hippie chick of the 1970s. She tears up everytime I mention that the Grateful Dead hasn't been the same band since the passing of Jerry Garcia. Speaking of Jerry Garcia, he has a line of men's ties. I have several of them. My question to you all is show me ONE picture of Jerry Garcia wearing a tie. It doesn't exist. A student I am quite proud to have taught was Kathlin Crampton. I predict she will have her own clothing line someday become wildly wealthy and not return my e-mails. When I started teaching in 2008 and I had to give a "D" to a student because they earned it. He didn't complain. He was there the next semester and earned a "B" in the class and he graduated on the 11th. I am proud of you Patrick for taking my advice and getting proactive in your education. Austin Smith is the son of Dennis Smith, one of the first on camera meteorologists at the Weather Channel. Austin was a student in two of my classes this past semester. His dad was one of the best in the business. Austin will do something grand in the business of media. It is in his DNA to be successful. Maria Yanovsky grew up in Russia and was very bright in our classes. Maria is a remarkable and thought provoking writer. She should be running Vogue or Vanity Fair. Watching the graduation and knowing that I had taught about a tenth of the graduates I felt my heart sing a song of pride for them. When some of them thanked me, shook my hand and hugged my neck I felt tears that I had to hold back. I am convinced that education can make a difference. Elementary, middle school, and high school teachers are having to cope with having to do more with less. The lack of taxes coming in and budget shortfalls have made the challenge of education greater than ever. As an employee of the University System of Georgia, I went to Office Depot and bought my own office chair. I don't deserve a medal for this. The people that deserve medals are the teachers who buy school supplies for economically disadvantaged students. I know a teacher in the Carroll County School System that had done this for years but looks at it as something that comes with the territory. Most school systems' budgets are cut to the bone. The next generation of leaders are being educated in our schools right now. The next Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jonas Salk, or Warren Buffett could be in a class room in a school somewhere in Georgia or Alabama. The engineers, scientists and doctors who will ultimately cure breast cancer or cancers of the blood such as lymphoma and leukemiand or the researchers who will find a genetic breakthrough with neuromuscular diseases could be at Tallapoosa Primary School. The Muscular Dystrophy Association that helps people diagnosed with over 40 neuromuscular diseases announced this week that this is the final year for Jerry Lewis to host the annual Labor Day telethon. The telethon this year is set for a primetime 6 hour special. The days of the unusual musical and animal acts that have been a Labor Day staple have gone the way of the vaudeville stage. Jerry Lewis kept the show going for 45 years as host and has helped the MDA raise over a billion dollars. Jerry Lewis has decided it is time to pass the baton for a new era for the Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon. I have cohosted the Atlanta segments of the telethon for the better part of 20 years has been a great experience is seeing hope in the faces of patients and their families. God bless you Jerry. You made us laugh and you made our hearts and minds think about just how blessed we are.