Columnists
Reflecting on Sportsmanship with Andy Griffith
One of my earliest examples of sportsmanship didn’t come from my Bronco League baseball team or my Murdock Elementary football and basketball teams. I like to watch reruns of the Andy Griffith Show whenever possible, preferably the black and white episodes. One that stands out to me was called “Medal for Opie,” which originally aired…
Read MoreHigh On Humor
Over the years, several of my sports heroes have had their careers tarnished following allegations they were using performance-improvement drugs. During the recent Olympics, several athletes were similarly accused. As a newspaper columnist, I am proud of what I have written, unassisted by any humor-enhancing drugs or whimsy-producing substances. Many humor columnists have on their…
Read MoreVote for All of Your Favorites in The Times’ 20th Readers’ Choice Contest
While you may not have gotten out and about as often during 2020 and 2021, we know that you still have your favorites. Favorite restaurant. Favorite jewelry store. Favorite florist. So we’re bringing back The Times Readers’ Choice contest 2022. It’s the largest reader promotion in Hamilton County. It’s where you vote for all of…
Read MoreCustomer Service
Has this ever happened to you? I wanted to reorder a product last week, so I called the company’s toll-free phone number. A cheerful recorded voice wished me a good morning (it was afternoon), and told me how much she valued my call, my time, my loyalty, and my impressive humanness. She reminded me that…
Read MoreTiptoeing Through the Tulips . . .
Scattershooting while missing the wonderful work of Bob Collins . . . * * * FOR THE record, I’ve never been confused with Tiny Tim (Google him, millennials – Baby Boomers remember him . . . and probably wish they didn’t). My hair was never that long. I sang bass in the choir. And I…
Read MoreJennifer Nicholson Brought Light, Love And Joy To Those Around Her
I remember one time running into Jennifer Nicholson on the Hamilton County Courthouse Square in downtown Noblesville just before Christmas a little more than three years ago, and asking, what makes her smile? “My grandchildren, always, and their voices when they sing or laugh or play,” the music teacher replied to me. Jennifer Nicholson and…
Read MoreNoblesville’s Colter Connections
When I wrote about Lucy Washington a few weeks ago I noted that she was the great-great grandmother of award-winning African American author Cyrus Colter. Colter was born in Noblesville in 1910 and I’d originally planned to feature him in this week’s column, but in doing the research, I found myself getting sidetracked by his…
Read MoreNon-Hodgkin Lymphoma
One of my patients asked me recently what lymphoma is. My knowledge of the subject was a bit dusty before I started researching this column. Medical knowledge of non-Hodgkin lymphoma has rapidly evolved over the last decade or so. It is a very interesting disease and a type of cancer that is illustrative of where…
Read MoreIRS; You Are Not
My friend is having trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. We’ll call him Mr. Farmer, be-cause — one; it’s the IRS, and two; well, they already know his real name. They know it far too well, as far as he’s concerned. First, a little background. Mr. Farmer is known among friends and strangers alike as…
Read MoreEducation ‘Reforms’ Come At Volatile Time
Here’s a pop quiz: What do Richard Lugar, Joe Donnelly, Mike Braun, and Todd Huston have in common? Early in their public service careers, they served on local or parochial school boards. This is notable because there is legislation in the Indiana General Assembly – House Bill 1182 – that will politicize school board races,…
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