THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Some quotes linger, often for no reason. They may stand alone, bringing up the rear when other thoughts are locked in–safe for the night–in literature’s OK Corral. Yet, they are “ear-catching,” hard to shake when minds are in neutral gear. Retired football coaching great Jimmie Keeling recently provided an eight-word pronouncement. It’s a quote
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The Great Depression is now remembered by a precious few, and foggily if that. Still, it remains a ready backdrop in conversations when accounts of deprivation abound. Born in 1937, I have memories back to the outbreak of World War II. I remember first-hand accounts of folks barely getting by during much of the
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Okay, I confess. I am–as many retailers know–a sucker of the first order. I’ve ignored pleas of loved ones and friends warning me about buying items at greatly reduced prices. I want to do better, but can’t help it if adrenaline jumps into overdrive upon my noticing signs like “drastically reduced” or
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury When my aged Uncle Mort tells a story that is not “truth-proofed,” it merely means he heard it somewhere, and details may be accurate–or, more likely–figments of his imagination. Herewith is his most current tale. An habitual criminal–swearing to lead a new life on the straight and narrow–still owed society some “slammer time” for
Read moreHOWARD PAYNE UNIVERITYNEWS RELEASE Dr. Don Newbury, Howard Payne University chancellor, will sign copies of his new biography this Friday and Saturday, October 14-15, as part of the university’s Stinger Spectacular. The book, titled Faith, Fervor and Fun: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Don Newbury, Howard Payne University’s Popcorn President, was commissioned by friends of Dr. Newbury and written by
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Uncle Mort refuses to give in to what he thinks leads many folks to early graves. He says he’ll resort to extreme measures to avoid falling into a trap he calls “terminal boredom.” Mort finds much to merit his attention on his little spread down in the thicket. Sometimes, though, he seeks a scene
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury For many decades, football-loving men gathered in coffee shops to dissect the previous Friday night’s schoolboy football games. There was more dissecting than coffee-drinking. Many may not have realized it, but those games–won, lost or tied–helped to unify community spirit. For the most part, high school sports were kept in perspective, unlike major university programs
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Umpteen years ago, I entitled a speech–cleverly I thought at the time—”From Adam’s Rib to Women’s Lib.” I provided more details than audiences wanted to know, explaining that with such an expansive title, maybe I wouldn’t wander too far off track. It was admittedly a weak joke, probably not warranting so much as
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury I, as well as most others who string words together, will never be confused with Robert Frost, the poetry genius from whose pen flowed marvelous words about his beloved New England. One of his best–published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1915–was “The Road Not Taken.” Actually, it was intended as a joke to
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Spirit Of Abilene 