Reflections upon the life of Joe G. Hanover, Jr., Brigadier General, AUS Retired, Texas Aggie ‘40

The last time I saw my friend Joe, aka Joe Grady Hanover, Jr., Texas Aggie Class of ’40, Brigadier General, AUS Ret’d., was Friday, March 31. He’d only been 99 years old for six weeks, and his health at that age wasn’t going all that well.

Photo credit: TAMU AFS Network

Actually, he’d been in the hospital until he made them release him on March 30th. He told doctors his “42” group (actually the group was shared with him by his favorite sister, Sarah) was coming in from Dallas over the weekend, and he had entertaining to do. They’d planned this meeting for weeks. Imagine how well you’d do up against that argument, so there was Joe and his beloved caregiver, Michelle Caldwell, her sister, Patsy, his 42 group, and me (as a one-time invitee), in the party room of the Longhorn Tavern Steakhouse on Friday night.

As before any meal with Joe, he asked the group to grow quiet prior to the food being served so we could offer thanks. There are exactly three men in this town who I believe say grace as if they were in true conversation with the Heavenly father in “real-time,” and Joe is one of them. Joe never failed to offer thanks, fully and completely for all the blessings he saw in the world and around the table he was gathered. So many people have known Joe “all of their lives,” if they were born in Wheelock, raised in Hearne, were early friends with Joe at Texas A&M, served with him in the military or met him because he walked into their business offices on a whim one day to introduce himself and compliment the CEO on his landscaping outside his building.

Natural beauty and nature’s beauty were important to Joe. As District Engineer for the Texas Highway Department, in his ultimate position with the organization he joined immediately after graduating from Texas A&M, Joe took great pride in planning ahead for traffic that wasn’t even there yet. He had the engineer’s gift of seeing things in two and three dimensions before they were needed, while most of us are grateful to observe our closest natural environs that surround us.

It was on March 24 this year when Joe was again celebrated in The Eagle and on KBTX-3 for the 50th anniversary of the opening of the underpass of University Drive at Wellborn Road, a feat that took 10 years and the sum of $1,000,000. As Kelan Lyons’ story notes, it was “the first time two roads had been vertically separated in Brazos County.”

Watch the KBTX video of the ceremony and see that two generals, Hanover and James Earl Rudder, were on that dais that day. Both gave a lifetime of service to Texas A&M, the state of Texas, and in military service to their country. Both are heroes to many, yet for different reasons. Age 98 had been much better for him, actually. Yet, it was only a few weeks ago that he was driving himself to First United Methodist Church on Sunday mornings.

Forever faithful to his church, Joe might not feel at 100% but if he was in town, he was in his Men’s Bible Class, likely the eldest member of his contingent, and then at 11 a.m. worship service in the sanctuary, surrounded by his family, Ragna Tolson, Tim, Holly, and Kate Scott, Pat and Mike (Holly’s mom and her husband), and family Lynn and John McKemie.

Up in the choir would be his favorites, Rev. David Henry, FUMC Music Minister and Choir Director, and of course Bill and Susan Birdwell, singing in the choir. Suzanne Smith would also be part of that family of worshipers. When Joe’s sister Sarah visited, she was right there in the pews with him, and when Bill’s sister Betty or daughter Bonnie and her family were in town, there they were with Joe in charge. After church, Joe would head out to a meal with his “lunch bunch” as he called them. They’d wind up at Buppy’s (often), Jose’s, C&J Barbeque, and wherever they were was where the fellowship was.

During the week, Joe had a schedule that was as far away from “retired” as you could possibly get. That was the secret of his youth—staying busy. First, you have to know that Michelle Caldwell, his adoptive daughter, was in charge of air traffic control and the only one who knew where Joe was, always. She had his cell phone forwarded to her phone so if he wasn’t at home, and if he didn’t answer his cell, she’d know about it. That was just one act of love for the man she adoringly called “Papa H.”

If you didn’t know she was family, or even when you did, Joe always beamed with pride as he told the story of love, about how Michelle’s mother, Patsy, took such loving care of his wife Lucille, particularly in the end of her life as Lucille’s battle with Parkinson’s grew long. I recall the first time I met Joe (and Lucille) was as a member of the FUMC Church Choir (remember they let anyone in). We had gone Christmas caroling to visit various church members in the hospital, in nursing and retirement homes, and David always made a special trip by Joe and Lucille’s as the evening wrap-up.

You’d hear Joe tell about how Patsy was taking wonderful care of Lucille, and years later, you’d hear how Michelle was taking wonderful care of him. He counted days, weeks and years and kept meticulous records of how he spent every day of his life. He had the journals to prove it. When the odometer turned “27” on the number of years Michelle had been with Joe, he just beamed. Her children also called him “Papa H.”

Just as sure as God is good, God had blessed Joe with a second daughter, and grandchildren as well. Joe and Lucille lost their daughter to cancer at a far-too-early age, and she and her husband had not had children at that point. In the past many years, Michelle would drive Joe to Dallas, and she’d spent the weekend with one of her daughters there, and then they’d drive back together. The bond of love they share was always so precious to see, as the example of a father-daughter relationship created that transcended age, race, and the definition of family as an entry on a genealogy tree.

There wasn’t a thing Joe needed that Michelle didn’t find a way to make happen. She knew his doctors’ appointments, knew his schedule, knew that his dear friend Johnny Bond would be by on which days to pick him up for lunch, or when she and Joe would go out to the American Legion Hall for coffee on Thursday mornings. He was a busy man. He’d been out at the farm in Wheelock, he’d be busy building picture frames (his own creation) to gift to friends with enlargements he’d had made and he’d be up at the church doing whatever was needed that he could, when he could.

Joe, Lucille, and Jocille Hanover were always an integral part of the church leadership at FUMC Bryan. In the “old days,” (60s, 70s, 80s) of the prime growth of the church, Joe and other local businessmen whose names are well known in the community were, literally, the pillars of the church. It was a day and time, friends, where there didn’t have to be slick campaigns designed to trick people out of “love gifts” for this, that, or the other for the church. One of the pillars would stand up and say, “there’s a need,” and after church, the business leaders would gather and get out their checkbooks and solve the problem with no fanfare, no fuss. Done and done.

In the 1990s as I was becoming part of that church, I walked into a church controversy where there was an opportunity to build a new parsonage for the senior pastor. Not everyone was united, riding aboard that train, but that didn’t bother Joe. Not only did he contribute finances, the retired civil engineer was over at the construction site, almost daily, supervising so much, including the laying of brick pavers in the back yard. Whatever he did, Joe was “all in.”

And now, as to how our worlds interacted that changed my life forever. It was two occasions in a Part A and a Part B way, separated by a decade. Out of respect for those with different opinions and hard feelings still lingering in the airstream…let me just say that he agreed with me on a matter of church business that was of a great concern to many in the church. Although he didn’t know me well, he listened as I made my case and was all in, ready to travel with me, meeting two others of us, in a meeting where he put his full power as a multidecade member of the church behind my statement of facts. He’d judged me through others’ and his seal of approval made it possible to be heard.

In life, you don’t always get the results you seek, whether you’re as right as rain, and do everything for the right reasons or not, because in the end when there are two sides, there can be residual resentment. That’s always the price you pay for standing up against a swelling tide of opinion who can drown you out by sheer volume, and yet they’re wrong (as I, and others, saw it). Joe didn’t care what others thought of him when he stood up, and I added that to my life lessons as well. I never forgot how he stood up for me…and I promised myself that one day should he need me (though that prospect was laughable and far-reaching), I’d be there for him.

The phone call from Michelle came in 2015, just as I’d finally carved out a week of ‘vacation’ to finish a project that was important to me. This is to say I’d already booked that time with something I’d been really waiting and wanting to do. My plans changed with that call and it would impact me and my schedule for the next 14 months.

Michelle said, “Hello Dawn, how are you?” I replied, “Doing great; how are you and how’s Joe?” “He’s fine,” she said, “and he has a question for you.” “Okay, put him on.” He said, “Dawn Lee, I have two cassette tapes here and they need transcribing. Do you know anyone who can transcribe them for me?” I said, “no, I’m sorry, Joe, I don’t.” The question was simple, right? So was the answer. I didn’t. Anyone who did that who I knew had retired from that work and the last time I’d done that was 1995 and that was a one-shot project that netted me about $.25/hour at the end. Never again!

Here’s the part you’ll laugh at. You’d have to know Joe. When he had something on his mind, and plenty of time to give it thought, there was no such thing as giving up. So, he continued. “It’s really important to me.” He had me at that sentence. I listened with a newly opened mind. “You see, in 1985, an A&M History Professor named Terry Anderson interviewed me and transcribed the interview. It was part of a project that had been funded by the Association of Former Students to interview Aggie graduates who’d gone on to achieve the rank of General or Admiral in military service to their country.”

“Hmm,” I said thoughtfully. “Well I was just sitting here in May (2015) and I got to thinking, it’s been 30 years since that interview and I’ve done a lot of interesting things in that time. I thought I might like to have that written down somewhere, too. So, I called up Dr. Anderson out of the blue and asked if he wouldn’t like to come by and maybe interview me again, and he said that yes, he’d like to do that.” Story continues. “I have here a written transcript of the interview in 1985 and these two cassette tapes and I’d like to have them transcribed. Michelle said you were the only person she could think of who would know exactly what to do.” I was really stumped. I’d not even been thinking about the work I did in the early 1990s with people who transcribed audio recordings and my mind wasn’t filling with solutions. I could only say to Joe, “Let me see what I can do.”

I checked with one friend and she’d retired, so no-go. Then I went online to see who might be available…the bad news was that the price for transcribing 120 minutes of audio recordings (not digital, so you’d need the latest in 1990s cassette transcribing machines) would feed a small city for a week. Oof. Now I was obsessed…how was I going to solve what had been his problem and was now my problem because Michelle told him I was the “only” person he knew who would know? Haha. Started trying to transcribe them myself. Three hours later, I had 250 words or, 5 minutes done. Doing the math, I didn’t have 180 hours.

I prayed. My friend, Carolyn, called and said she’d found her old machine and would come out of retirement to bail me out. Yes! So, it would take a few weeks, but I called Joe back with the good news and he didn’t seem as delighted as I was. He said, “I knew you’d find a way. Now all I need to do is get that printed out and then I have this other first part that’s printed and it’s bound. It’s a little old. Thirty years. And then maybe I can put them together down at (XYX store). They said they could put them together when the other is printed out.”

Hmm. I asked him what the print looked like, single-spaced or double-spaced so I could make sure the two parts were the same. He said, “Double-spaced, printed on one side of the page only.” “Hmm.” That started the avalanche of thought….1985. Printed out. That meant coil binding from back in the day. When I delivered the double-spaced new interview to Joe and Michelle, they were thrilled. I wasn’t.

For the first time, I saw the 1985 product that Joe had…a Xerox copy of a maroon aged (lightened by time) coverstock cover and a poor-quality Xerox copy inside, where you could tell it was a copy of a copy and it had vertical lines going down the Xeroxed pages. The 2015 copy was pristine, the font was different, and it was on a computer file. The 1985 model was from a “latest model” IBM Selectric. Typed by a departmental assistant no doubt. No computer file to merge or format. I asked Joe, “Is this your best copy?” He said, “Well, I’ve had a few copies made through the years, about 10, I think.” You know what’s coming next.

You’d have had the same reaction...I couldn’t just let General Joe have two completely different looking segments of the accounting of his life look like a train wreck. I said, “This won’t do.” That week of vacation quickly disappeared as I took Part 1 to my fave copy store, tried to have the pages imaged and scanned it, hoping to be able to do a fast reformat and font change, etc.

Apparently the latest in 2015 software is “allergic” to the IBM Selectric font from 1974. This meant retyping all of Part I. I turned on my favorite CDs and began typing. As I typed and read and typed and read, I was fascinated by the story of the man I knew from church, who I didn’t really know at all.

What began as a random good deed turned into a history lesson. I was touched by Joe’s life as a young man, his falling in love with his first-grade sweetheart and the number of times he had asked her to marry him before she’d say yes. The conditions surrounding said union would require him to complete his degree at Texas A&M and his having to have a job secured. He did both and Lucille, finally, said yes.

An amazing man of innovation, his approach to military service and problem-solving was impacted also by Lucille’s ability to follow protocol, manage discipline, and her business sense as she held a job as well. Joe kept faithful diaries of what he did every day of his life, and every day in military service, and he used to say, gently but proudly, that he doubted many other military men would have been able to produce the same records.

I believed that to be true. I remember that in the past decade, occasionally he’d call upon me to type a letter or two for him, because I was so quick at doing that, and naturally I was delighted to do whatever he needed. What pleased me was the story of his meeting the first U.S. Army’s first named African-American general and how proud he was to meet him. Joe said it was the first general he ever met, and he loved the opportunity to shake his hand and hold a conversation with him. Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. was Joe’s first military role model as general.

Over the years, Joe supported the work and mission of U.S.A.F. General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., who was commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen. I know because I typed the letters when he enclosed the checks. Their organization publication did a small writeup about Gen. Hanover as one of their supporters and told the story of how he’d met Gen. Davis, Sr.

No one outside Joe’s closest family and friends had a clue about the depths of regard and respect he had for people of all backgrounds. Especially today, when I’m daily being made aware of how that attitude is (still) not always universal, is it refreshing to know there was a 99-year-old man who didn’t distinguish how to regard and treat others based on any barrier or difference of any type. Joe Hanover was a man ahead of his time, all the time. Yet, he was very modest so you wouldn’t know, even if you sat in the same pews with him at church.

At the end of the week, I wasn’t done, so I sandwiched in the merging of documents and formatting into bits and pieces of the subsequent two weeks. Finally, I was thrilled and Joe said he would like to see a copy. I went to my fave copy store and my “team” where I do business weekly and asked their help in a making a new cover. My team did not disappoint. I asked Joe what he thought and he loved it. Michelle did, too. The next question was, “How many do you want to order?”

Cover photo courtesy of Martin Powers Publishing; Lucille Scasta Hanover and Gen. Clifford Simmang, share Joe's pinning/promotion to brigadier general.

At this point the fun began. Michelle and I started rolling our eyes and exchanging knowing looks when he said, “About 10 will do it.” And in unison we shook our heads, “No.” Puzzled, he said, “What?” We said, “That’s not enough.” And he replied, “Okay, maybe 15.” We weren’t having any of that. We got him up to 25 and that’s as far as he’d go. With respect but stifling giggles, we said, “Okay, that will work,” meanwhile casting knowing glances at each other that he’d be out of those 25 faster than he could blink.

We didn’t have to wait long. About a week later, my phone rang. “Well, it seems like you girls knew better than I did.” Thing was, we could only get him up to 25 at a time. I tried to explain, to no avail. Michelle tried. No go. All was well and he was past his first 50 copies that I’d delivered, and he mused, “I wonder what this book would look like if it was hardbound like a real book.”

Eleven months later, he had an answer. The intermediate 11 months were full and there were many conversations about “the book” and it took on a life of its own. The process was straightforward but I must single out my friend, Rhonda Brinkmann, who generously donated 12 hours of her time over two weekends to help me format the book. We had great fun watching two career editors working off of one computer with three screens. She’d work for a while, one way, and then I’d go in and try to learn from that, do my thing my way, and the discussions that ensued about how I work on three computer screens were nothing short of hilarious.

Joe, however, knew nothing about the depth of my lack of knowledge of the nuances of Word and/or Adobe. So, he missed out on hearing gems like, “I never knew Word could do that,” from me, or “Now, wait. What did you just do? Let’s undo that.” It was a learning experience for me, to be sure. I made sure Joe knew of Rhonda’s amazing contributions when the project was completed.

In the interim, Michelle would call some days and say they would like a third to help with the onion rings they planned to order at Cheddar’s, could I come? Then there were evenings when Joe would call and ask if I was thinking about Dairy Queen the way he was. Turns out, I was thinking about that very topic when he called. Joe even said prayers of thanks for all that we’d been blessed with before he ever sank into the ice cream cone with the little curl on the top.

After some careful research, checking, validating and uploading to print a sample copy, the spec copy was ready. When Joe saw the sample, his eyes lit up like it was Christmas. Of all the looks I’ve seen on Joe’s face during the past 20 years, that was the one to remember. It didn’t take two weeks for his first order to be delivered. When I brought them over, Michelle and I both had fun teasing him that he’d run out of his first order fast.

Once again, he stood firm in his position that 25 would be all he’d need. We smiled and shook our heads when he wasn’t looking, although he probably knew what we were doing and enjoyed the joke with us. My phone rang a week later. Seems he was planning a reorder. Oh, did Michelle and I have fun with that, gently of course. All three of us were laughing til tears came into our eyes.

Initially I set up the ordering process online for social media to help get the word out about his new book. Then a few weeks later, I turned operations headquarters over to Michelle and Joe and I knew he was having the time of his life sharing his book with his friends. He autographed each copy and personalized it carefully, using amazingly legible engineering font that showed he’d never forgotten his early Engineering Design Graphics (EDG) classes from back in the day at A&M. You can always spot an engineer by his or her printing. Architects have their own distinct style as well. It’s a “tell.”

I have my own copy of Joe’s book here that he personalized to me and for the life of me, right now, I can’t bear to walk over and get it from its special place on my publications table to open it. It’s just too soon to see it again. There’s plenty of time in weeks ahead.

The gift of time that we can give one another far exceeds the value of any other gift, monetary, property, or tangible treasure. Joe Hanover gifted me with many hours of his time, and it was an honor and privilege to be with Joe in our adventures along the way. My time spent with Joe and his adopted daughter, Michelle, are among the happiest days of my life in the past five years. God blessed me with their friendship and any small thing I did for Joe is nothing in comparison to the gift of time he shared with me.

In the grand scheme of things, I’m just one of his friends and a more recent one at that. Across the Brazos Valley, in Bryan, College Station, Hearne, Wheelock, and Dallas, there are those who have loved this amazing man with all their hearts, and have for all of their lives.

Joe also had a wonderful sense of humor. He loved dishing out the teasing and gave just as good as he got. One local businessman, who regarded Joe as a second dad, would have the best time when inviting Joe to accompany him on a brief trip here or there. Joe could talk to anyone of any age on just about any topic. He was well read, kept up with the daily news on television and was a regular encyclopedia of Aggie sports trivia. Until his final years, Joe attended Aggie football games, some basketball games, Aggie baseball games, and maroon and white were indeed his favorite colors, as they had been, all his life.

An entire church owes him an unremittable debt of gratitude for things seen and unseen that he did in their worlds. The FUMC Church Choir could always count on one of Joe’s annual fish fry parties as his way of saying, “thank you” to the choir for their music. Rev. David Henry could count on dynamic lunchtime discussions of history and church organ music, as Joe’s nephew is an accomplished church organist in his own right.

Many Methodist ministers who served FUMC Bryan know what a difference Joe made (behind the scenes) to see that annual significant funds were given, so that good things could happen in the life of the church. That was just classic Joe Hanover. Everyone talks so often about “a servant’s heart.” Joe’s daily life would be the poster for what that truly means.

Photo (left) taken by and shared on KBTX.com, March 2017, age 99 years, 1 month, taken at University Drive West, just past the Wellborn Road overpass.

The picture of Gen. Joe on the University Drive median shows him resplendent in his trademark Aggie baseball cap, khaki trousers, pressed short-sleeved shirt and suspenders.

You’d never have a clue he was 99 years old that day, or that eight weeks later he’d cross over to his Heavenly reward. Joe was the kind of soul you truly thought would live forever.

So, at the end of his life here on Earth, yes, it’s hard as anything to bid him farewell, but anyone who knew him well, and knew well his faith, knew that he was staying busy every day while waiting for the day when he could be reunited with his beloved wife, Lucille, and their beloved daughter, Jocille. He was with us 99 years and three months. You couldn’t ask for a better example of faith and you couldn’t ask for a better reason to let him go than to rejoin them.

As it is written in John 14:27:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Our hearts are not troubled tonight. Godspeed, Joe, and thank you for all your time here on Earth with all of us.

Joe G. Hanover, Jr.

February 10, 1918 – May 22, 2017

Ruby Tuesday’s ‘Fresh Flavors’ TV Commercial is Great American Solution for Peace

Concerned and worried about global unrest? Losing sleep at night because you’re worried we cannot achieve world peace? Worry no more. The United States has a huge benefit in our arsenal—the perfect weapon that is neither chemical, mineral, or propelled. It’s a sound wave.

A very simple sound wave that, if repeated continually, will bring opposition forces to their knees. There will be open weeping, gnashing of teeth, and an all-important letting go of the will to fight. It’s is, simply stated, one television commercial. The 15-second spot, “Fresh Flavors” from Ruby Tuesday Garden Bar and Grill will drive anyone directly over the edge. Watch and learn:

Call it serendipity, call it kismet, thanks to inspiration from Barney the dog’s regular daytime TV programming, this has to be the single-most powerful deterrent to peace of mind anywhere. Here’s how it plays. UP-TV is broadcast on the Suddenlink and other national cable systems across the country. It’s a great channel and you can count on marathons of (mostly) really great shows, e.g., “Gilmore Girls” (Barney's personal favorite, "Coffee, coffee, coffee"); “Growing up McGhee“ (Son#6: “Daddy, am I bad? Dad: “No son, you’re 5”—who does NOT love this family?); "Bringing Up Bates”; “America’s Funniest Videos”; and others.

Ad Age notes that “Fresh Flavors” is a new release this week on national TV.

It’s not clear from an online search exactly which agency is responsible for this 15-second audio weapon, but thanks to ispot.tv, we know, “The song was created for this commercial.” As if there were a question being floated out there with someone thinking they’d ever heard it before. It’s new. It’s obnoxious, and it’s the key to global peace. It was possible to locate one ad agency in North Carolina as having produced several prior Ruby Tuesday ads, but who’d want to stick them with this stinker as potentially one of theirs? Innocent until proven guilty, BooneOakley. Just saying.

You play this 15-second “gem” in a loop for hours (while our troops wear noise-canceling headphones), and I guarantee people will run screaming for cover. They will drop all weapons, release all hostages and beg for mercy.

Speaking of which, why UP-TV continues to run “7th Heaven” episodes as if nonstop episodes starring creepy Stephen Collins won’t run you off, then there’s the entire dysfunctional family. Oh, my stars. Quite the characters--Ruthie? Lucy? Simon? Oh please. The only actors with a redeeming role in the family are Barry Watson’s “Matt Camden” and the Stults brothers (George and Geoff) in their “Kevin and Ben Kinkirk” roles. The only thing you question about the Kinkirks is their decision skills in teaming up with a Camden. Yuck.

Speaking of brothers, Sam and David Camden were supposedly portrayed by all four of Brino quintuplets early on (Nikolas, Lorenzo, Zachary and Myrinda) but eventually casting was narrowed down to two of the little boys who spoiled multiple levels of information untimely because they didn't ever grasp what a "secret" was. Another reason to 86 the reruns of "7th Heaven." All these facts seem pointless but this is what happens when you try not to think about the insipid Ruby Tuesday "Fresh Flavors" commercial. You'll think of anything that takes your mind off the off-key woman pirouetting around the salad bar.

Back to bad TV. "7th Heaven." Continuing...every other character is unpleasant, demanding, petulant, self-centered, jealous, and overly involved in the lives of their siblings to the point of insanity. The actors are only portraying their roles, but it's truly challenging not to transfer your opinion of the character to the actor after 11 wearisome seasons of reruns. Jessica Biel got out just in time. Please, UP-TV, stop this air pollution, quickly. More Gilmore, less Camden/Collins.

Back to the good of UP-TV. Now, actor Barry Watson has a chance at a good show (and they’re giving him his own, well-deserved series, “Date My Dad,” starring Watson and Raquel Welch, debuting in four weeks). There are already many pans on the show before it has even aired, on the UP-TV page, which seem rather unfair, except the channel promotes it four times an hour and there's still 30 days to go before airdate. Yes, that's excessive, but that's what UP-TV does. Perhaps it's the too-close association of UP-TV and the Ruby Tuesday "Fresh Flavors" commercial that every 15 minutes, just like Ruby Tuesday’s ad buys are simultaneously running. Now, UP-TV in general does far more good than harm, but they are galaxies away from being the Hallmark Channel, to be sure. Haven't seen any Ruby Tuesday's commercials on that channel, but it's only a matter of time, sadly.

But, here's an idea. Repetition of bad TV shows (11 seasons of “7th Heaven” are 11 too many), and bad singing is the way to end world conflict. Repetition of even a good thing can drive most people to the brink anyway.

On the bright side of bad TV and truly bad TV commercials, we can literally scare the meanness out of every world enemy we have by making them hear, consider, reflect or muse about "7th Heaven" and "Ruby Tuesday's." Once again, a recognized leading powerhouse, the United States, continues to lead the world in music and TV “infotainment” that will drive even the most happy person, and her or his dog, slightly over the edge. And it’s free! Satellite uplinks guide the way, so let ‘er rip! Infidels, dictators and traitors beware…Ruby Tuesday’s “Fresh Flavors” is comin’ for ya. You are so going to wish you hadn’t been born. Hide and watch, a lot. That will teach them not to cross or block or hack us. "We are the champions my friends" (with massive apologies to Queen).

Please, for the sake of world peace, export this commercial off of our TV sets and into countries who are trying to bomb us. It has everything our enemies don’t like—singing, dancing, and stupid. We can emerge victorious and not have lost anything but a little time. Uncle Sam needs this spot and we sure as heck don’t need it at all. Please don’t thank me. Just trying to be a good citizen and do my part to support my country.

If you need to find me, one place you won’t spot me is a Ruby Tuesday’s. We don’t have one here anyway and when I’m in a town that has one, I’m going to remember that sorry commercial and go anywhere else but there.

Remembering William Fowler (Bubba) Moore, Jr., 12 Years Later

It's almost impossible to believe that it's been 12 years since the Brazos Valley lost our friend and community volunteer, Bubba Moore. Bubba was a one-of-a-kind towering man--heart of gold, spirit of indefatigable joy and all-around good guy. Through his weekly publications "The Press" and "TV Facts," Bubba made sure everyone knew what was happening in Bryan-College Station and surrounding counties.

During the time that Bubba was battling Hep C and refusing to give in, there was a group of folks who would participate as writers, photographers, reporters, and fact-finders for Bubba and his publisher partner and great friend, Mike Newton. In a recent review of files of yesteryear, I've discovered some long-forgotten gems.

As these publications are no longer in business or available, I offer these scans of the magazines to you for your reading pleasure. This is the first of many hidden treasures I'm delighted to share. Please feel free to tag yourself in the photographs, comment, or share with friends.

In light of Project Unity's "All You Need is Love" upcoming fundraiser on May 6, at The Stella Hotel in Bryan, and since the Friends of Bubba Moore are one of the major sponsors, I'm even more delighted to share these pages in thanks to them, as a major sponsor of this signature event that supports Project Unity's work in our community (preventing child abuse, educating couples on how to be better parents, and their latest HOPES initiative grant that Jeannie McGuire, Ella McGruder and their amazing team are administering...thinking of Bubba today and how happy he would be with his name attached to this truly important financial support.

Below is a lovely tribute to Bubba written by Lynn McDaniel of Eclectic Productions here, a creative advertiser and writer.

It's also fun to see the advertisers, the original TV listings of what was on the air and a reminder when things "seemed" simpler, even when they were anything but. As you'll see in the photographs, so many people loved Bubba and they came out to support him, forming the Friends of Bubba.

Now, you can't miss Brian Lippman in the photos below--the man in town who's played bass with virtually every band ever from here, plus he's the go-to guy for national acts when their bass players get snowed into airports (that's happened before).

In the photo below you'll spot Beth and Buddy Price and Don, Cathy, and Mark Conlee. Who else do you recognize in these photos?

This nice Spiritual Journey (below)is actually not by Nelson Mandela; rather, it is by Marianne Williamson, from her book "Return to Love," a frequent error when people think of this lovely message. Remember that it's by Marianne and read it out loud and believe it for the beautiful message it is.

And, now here's another tribute (anonymous) to Bubba in "TV Facts." You may have to zoom in to read it, but, that's small typefont.

You know you'll recognize Toni Martinez and her precious mom as well as two precious TWINZ to boot. Sharon and Mike Reece, and Gina and Bobby Williamson in these pictures too. That's par for the course--wherever good things are happening, you'll always find these people in the middle of it. Below pictured you'll see Elizabeth Scott, future co-owner of "TV Facts" with Robin Silva, who at the time had no idea she'd be doing that. Twelve long years flew by in the blink of an eye. Precious memories, every one of them.

For The BoDeans, 'Thirteen' is a Lucky Number Filled with Reminders of Home

The only thing unbelievable about the new CD, “Thirteen,” by The BoDeans is that their band has been known as a solid music force for 30 years. Where did the time go since “Fadeaway,” “Only Love,” and “Dreams”? They entered the rock (or alternative rock) world primarily on the talents of Kurt Neumann and that’s been enough to create, build and sustain a faithful following today.

On April 21, the band’s long-awaited 13th studio album was released, just in time for yesterday’s National Record Store Day. Never mind it’s a CD, not a vinyl 33, play along for a minute and imagine that the first music you ever hear by The BoDeans is “Thirteen” (F&A Records). Despite the simplicity of the title and the understated power of the band’s fans who fill concert venues, buy or download the music and claim some songs as “part of the soundtrack of their lives,” you're sure to appreciate this latest offering from the pen of Neumann, who calls Wisconsin home. Understated doesn't begin to describe the album art. It comes in a simple grayscale cover with the number “13” in the shadows and the band’s name in maroon.

Typical BoDeans—no frills, no hype, just straight-ahead music with honest lyrics, practical rhythms and melodies that sound so naturally solid that you’ll swear you’ve heard these songs before, even when you haven’t. It’s easy to grow into their groove, particularly on “EvryBdy Wants” (sic) and “I Get Low,” because they’re easily my favorites of the album. I won’t confess to the number of times I hit “repeat” on the car as I was driving home from getting the CD.

After hundreds of thousands of touring miles, hours logged traveling in uncomfortable buses down scenic and desolate roads alike, “Thirteen” is the BoDeans’ best work to date. When Kurt Neumann wrote the songs, he ultimately crafted a biographical portrait, personally, and about the band.”

Speaking of the band, it's composed of Kurt Neumann, Sam Hawksley, Kenny Aronoff, David Sierra, Stefano Intelisano, Bukka Allen, Eric Holden, Zak Sparks, David Duffy, and Eamon McLoughlin, as the latest lineup, courtesy of their Facebook page. Leaving your hometown, whether Wisconsin city or urban mega-metroplex, means you’re taking big risks. Seeking fame also means gambling everything you’ve built in the past to go for your dreams. Ultimately when you achieve major accolades, industry respect, and you’ve garnered the right to work with all the “big names” in music, you’ve arrived.

From the heartfelt sincerity of “My Hometown,” “Here Somehow,” “Feels Like Home,” and “Headed Home,” you’re convinced you know what is on Neumann’s mind. Another standout track is “Sway,” an instrumental that just commands focus and listening over and over. “Lucky Man” is basically how Neumann feels, no doubt, as he reviews the band’s path over the past three decades.

Check out "My Hometown" on YouTube:

The music of The BoDeans is found incorporated into many media homes, and you may well recognize some of the songs on “Thirteen” if you’re a fan of the Netflix show, “The Ranch.” The band made an appearance on the original scripted show that stars favorites Sam Elliott, Danny Masterson, Debra Winger, and Ashton Kutcher, who is constantly on the cutting edge of all things social media.

Neumann has said of “My Hometown””: “This song is about home–small towns–and coming back to them, the place where you were raised, and the place and the people that made you who you are today.”

The BoDeans kick off their 2017 Spring tour in Maryland and travel south, north, and back to the Midwest in the space of four weeks. Catch them in concert here:

4/30 Annapolis, MD Rams Head on Stage

5/2 Atlanta, GA City Winery

5/3 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre

5/4 Richmond, VA The Tin Pan

5/5 Alexandria, VA Birchmere

5/6 Stroudsburg, PA Sherman Theater

5/7 New Hope, PA New Hope Winery

5/11 New York, NY City Winery

5/26 Chicago, IL City Winery

5/27 Waupaca, WI Indian Crossing Casino

To connect with The BoDeans on social media, check out www.bodeans.com and http://www.facebook.com/bodeans

Reflections on “Sizzling Cold Case” (The Legend of Lori London) — A Barnaby Jones Novel (by Buddy Ebsen with Darlene Quinn)

The original plan for the book “Sizzling Cold Case,” by Buddy Ebsen with Darlene Quinn, was originally intended to be a teleplay, but author Buddy Ebsen also realized it could be a standalone book as well. He’d filled many yellow legal pads with his handwritten prose (his favored way of writing) with exactly that dual intent, before he became ill and died on July 6, 2003 at age 95. His widow, Dorothy Ebsen, was determined to share his final book with all who loved him, as her collective gift to her husband’s fans. Enter family friend and author Darlene Quinn, who was clearly the right person to take Buddy’s manuscript and complete it.

This information was learned from listening to a recent interview shared on Kiki Ebsen’s web site, “Buddy Ebsen Birthday Chat,”—a lovely discussion between Kiki, Dorothy Ebsen and Darlene Quinn. They reminisced over some great memories, and shared some insight on the book. First published in hardback, and later in paperback and for Kindle, there’s an entirely new format that caught my eye, or ear, rather—audiobook.

Chalk it up to a nice quality of William E. Fortier’s voice as narrator, but while listening, it was so easy to visualize the old television show “Barnaby Jones” episodes I used to watch that I thought I was right back in the 1970s waiting for the familiar theme by Jerry Goldsmith to come on and open the CBS weekly program.

As you hear the theme, you see the puzzle piece-type squares coming together to read “Barnaby Jones, A QM Production,” and the opening photo of Buddy dressed in a blue suit and tie that compliments his eyes. Remember, he’s reading a report at his desk? I listened to the announcer, Henry F. (Hank) Simms, saying “Barnaby Jones, starring Buddy Ebsen” followed by “Also starring, Lee Meriwether” followed by his saying “with Guest Stars”…and then at the very end, you could see the final “A QM Production” slate again.

From the very opening chapter (there are 66 of them) in the book, you’re pulled back into Barnaby’s reminiscence of how his son, Hal, had been murdered, and now a thread from the past introduced a connection to understanding what really happened in what would be Hal’s last case that he was working on before his death. The reopening of the Lori London case began immediately.

Hearing the scene describing a location familiar to everyone who lives in or has toured Los Angeles…the iconic Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard. It is there where Barnaby surveils someone putting a single rose on the star of the late actress Lori London, whose life story is central to the theme of the book and whose passing was previously considered a suicide, when Barnaby’s late son, Hal, didn’t believe that for a minute. Barnaby takes up where Hal left off, even though it had been a few years since he’d been active.

Also, watching this event from a different purview is a newly christened detective, Craig Scott, and then the story takes off. A red Ferrari driven by a gentleman who placed a red rose on the sidewalk, stood silently for a moment, and as fast as that car drives away, you’re whisked away on quite the adventure. Cold cases are always the most interesting of mysteries for any reader to unravel, because you must learn the predicate of the case, then you think through along with the detective about current events and wonder how to deconstruct the case to ultimately find a correct logical solution to the crime that was mis-solved and remained unsolved all this time.

The dialogue is fresh and really, it’s just as though you’d stepped into Barnaby’s world just a few years later. Barnaby Jones was so much more than a milk-drinking crime-solver who knew what Geritol was and how to use it. Originally, he was the lead partner and father in a father-son detective agency, Jones & Jones. Further, Barnaby was different than virtually every other Quinn Martin series detective in that he was a forensic scientist and criminologist. You used to see him in his home laboratory with test tubes, Bunsen burners, beakers and all the trappings of forensics pre-Abby Sciuto’s lab in “NCIS.”

So, aside from a propensity to wear a carnation or drink a glass of milk, two charming contrived visuals from Edward Hume (who also created “Cannon,” “The Streets of San Francisco,” and “Toma”), he’s the very same man. The first episode of Barnaby Jones, “Requiem for a Son,” “found a retired Barnaby leaving retirement to find his son’s killer.”

Therefore, in Buddy’s mind, when circumstances of his late son’s final case, which Hal knew not to be a suicide, were resurrected and refreshed, one more time (Buddy decided) that Barnaby would leave retirement and solve the incorrectly resolved case. Thus, the plot is perfectly plausible in 2017 as it was in 2002 when Buddy began working on it.

Once again, he envisioned Hal Jones’ wife Betty, Lee Meriwether, had been the agency’s right hand for before and since her husband’s death would be part of the story, although in more cursory fashion. The reminder of beautiful Lee Meriwether was a lovely memory to consider; even Jedediah (played on TV by Mark Shera) makes an appearance in the novel, though Fortier gives him a less strong character voice possibly to express youthfulness.

So, why should you acquire this book (reprints are available in paperback on Amazon.com) some 37 years after the TV show ended? Because you won’t be disappointed. So many times when we revisit beloved childhood favorites (for Baby Boomers) or contemporary friends (among the Greatest Generation), we end up wishing we hadn’t gone there. Remakes of movies such as “Bewitched” or breathing new life into “Full House” is an example of returns to the originals gone wrong.

On the other hand, the “new” Barnaby Jones novel, is an extremely successful journey back home, to the days when TV detectives caught the bad guys without “CSI,” “Law & Order,” and the invention of the word “procedurals” to describe 60-minute (or 48-minute) storyboards where you already knew who-dun-it and had to watch the good guys catch the bad guys. This time, you get to walk alongside Barnaby and use your own deductive reasoning to consider who might be the bad actor in the case. When Barnaby resolves the case, you might (or might not) know who did it. The joy is in the journey of looking for clues on your path. Thanks to Darlene Quinn, we all have a fun book to enjoy, one which helps us relive the grand old days of detectives we know and loved.

You can find more info on Ms. Quinn's other books on her web site. Barnaby Jones was, and remains, a thinking person’s detective, armed with an equal dose of charm, sage pondering, and reflective questioning before settling on an answer, and a perpetrator. It’s great television of yesteryear and fulfilling reading/listening present day. Get the book, in whatever format you want it. Case closed.

Chuck Barris, The Legend, The Myth, and a Few Versions of the Truth According to Chuck

When the news came that the iconic entertainment jack-of-all-trades Chuck Barris had died on Tuesday, March 21, the first thing I thought of was not “The Gong Show,” but instead the Freddie Cannon hit, “Palisades Park.” It’s less well known that the Prince of Silly TV (my name for him) actually wrote the 1962 hit. It was “just one of those things” that showed Barris had real talent, even if he constantly played a buffoon as the host of “The Gong Show” for several seasons.

Palisades Park, the amusement park is famous outside its home state, mostly due to WABC DJ, Bruce Morrow’s “Star Spectaculars,” featuring entertainers like Frankie Avalon, Tony Orlando, The Sentimentals, and of course Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon performing there in 1960s weekends. Morrow is better known as “Cousin Brucie,” as he still plays his role today on SiriusXM 60s on 6, and hosts live broadcasts from time to time at Palisades Park in New Jersey. Back in the day, admission there was only $.30; time has changed that!

Chuck Barris Productions began as a series of launching (at the time) slightly racy game shows in 1965, the first being “The Dating Game” featuring favorite host, Jim Lange.” Everyone remembers the horn-heavy popular tv theme:

And then Lange would introduce the three bachelors or bachelorettes hidden away from the contestant, whose job was to quiz them to select a potential date. Many popular celebrities of the day appeared as contestants but they weren’t under any obligation to actually keep the dates that were made. A Barris special caveat, no doubt.

That show was so popular that Barris then launched “The Newlywed Show,” with the ever-smiling host Bob Eubanks.

Newly married couples were quizzed on how well they knew each other, and when they didn’t get the answers right….that’s when the fun began.

Ultimately, though, it would be “The Gong Show” that brought Chuck to the forefront of audiences’ attention. He was constantly laughing on camera; he’d laugh at his own jokes, and the show was essentially a farce created by Canadian producer Chris Bearde, who was also known as the co-producer of “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour” with Allen Blye. The only reason to mention that is that “The Unknown Comic” of “The Gong Show” was Murray Langston, who was also a popular regular on “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.” Every time he came on, Murray put a brown paper bag over his head, came out to do a few bad jokes, and he never missed the chance to insult Chuck. To Chuck's delight, Murray reprised the role many times over the life of the show.

On “The Gong Show,” America also fell in love with people who would have otherwise been considered “forgotten talents,” including Jaye P. Morgan, Jamie Farr, Arte Johnson, and Rip Taylor among those who could judge the talent (limited as the contestants typically were) and put the audience out of their collective misery by hitting the gong. People loved the parody aspect, they loved to watch Chuck (or “Chucky Baby” as he was nicknamed) crack up at his own creations week after week. They loved Gene Patton, aka "Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine," as he took every opportunity to dance whenever he heard "his" theme song, "Jumpin' at the Woodside." And, he had everyone dancing with him, including Chuck. In real life, Patton was a stagehand at NBC, but when he danced, everyone thought that dancing was his full-time job.

Here are some snippets of their 400th episode, where Chuck said, “And they said it wouldn’t last!” It did.

In rewatching “The Gong Show,” all the favorite things he’d say came back, “We’ll be right back after a lot of 'stuff'” and various other signature catch phrases. But the more I watched him laugh, crinkle his eyes, and throw his head back and smile, it seems almost exactly like Matt Czuchry used to as he portrayed Logan Huntzberger on “Gilmore Girls.” That could be Gilmore overload talking, though.

Chuck Barris lied to get his first job at NBC, a page, if memory serves correctly. He schmoozed his way through a lot of his career, ultimately working as an assistant to Dick Clark, but he was crazy like a fox as he managed to rise in an industry that surely would never have welcomed him in the first place. Truth was not always a necessity in Chuck’s world…in his biography he claimed he’d once worked for the CIA, as an assassin, per his biography “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” and the Biography channel collective. The CIA disavows all knowledge of that being correct of course, and then again, accuracy is in the eye of the beholder.

“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” both Barris’ autobiography and the 2002 movie based on the book may or may not contain the truth, but it was always “Barris’ version of the truth” that audiences saw and enjoyed on TV. That, and probably George Clooney’s directing the movie starring Sam Rockwell (as Barris), Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Cera (as a young Chuck Barris), and even Jaye P. Morgan and Dick Clark played themselves.

Here’s an interview from 2007 where he answered a few questions about the shows he created:

Chuck created an image far larger than life, and yet his personal life contained sufficient tragedy. Ultimately, he wrote a book, “Della: A Memoir of My Daughter,” in remembrance of the daughter he lost far too soon, a victim ultimately of drugs and alcohol, fueled by a trust fund she received from Chuck when she turned 16. She defiantly had decided to move out, but Chuck agreed and then provided her means to live on. Ultimately, it ended tragically.

Chuck was actually a prolific writer, given his 1974 book "You and Me, Babe," "1984's "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," "Bad Grass Never Dies" (2003), "The Big Question" (2007, "Who Killed Art Deco" (2009), and "Della, A Memoir of My Daughter" (2010).

Music gave him a start, television fueled his success, and writing gave him an outlet for his overly creative expression. And who knows, maybe he was a CIA assassin. Or not. It doesn't matter.

Looking back over the body of work Chuck created in his career, we have much to be grateful for and much to laugh about.

Thanks for the hours of entertainment, Chucky Baby, and most of all, thanks for “Palisades Park.”

Gardner Osborn -- Deep Spirit, Abiding Faith

Rediscovered Treasure...Found some of my favorite "Blast from the Past" profile stories, this one from Bubba Moore's TV Facts Magazine, the week of April 25 - May 1, 2004. Bubba was fighting health challenges and he graciously allowed me to write his columns on whatever I wanted to write about, and Mike Newton served as Editor and designed all the layout. Their only instruction to me was to write about anything that was good news locally. Remember Bubba's motto: "It's good news!" The original images are shared here, but I retyped the story for legibility. Hope you enjoy. DLW

[Ed. Note: Cover Photo Legend: This week our story focuses on the founder of the Prenatal Clinic and the men and women who have helped make it the vital resource for women and children that it is today. Read and be amazed at the misconceptions you probably have about this most necessary medical service, beginning on page 3. Photos by Dawn Lee Wakefield. (Right) Gardner Osborn: Mother of the Prenatal Clinic (photo by Beth Price).]

Gardner Osborn -- Deep Spirit, Abiding Faith

What is it that keeps Gardner Osborn going? That's a pretty fair question to ask, given her recent bout with critical illness. Just seven short weeks ago, Gardner was on prayer lists around town and frankly, few expected her to live.

Those who hoped for her recovery were cautious: they never expected her to bounce back. Thanks to prayers and good medical care, however, she is the vital, dynamic do-gooder sailing into April, 20014, a renewed vision of her exuberant self. Not only did she come back, she's so youthful and vital that it's understandable why some of her fellow parishioners at downtown's St. Andrew's Episcopal Church named her "Lazarita."

She's back and she's busy, preparing to attend a luncheon next Saturday that wouldn't even be occurring, were it not for Gardner and the help of some great colleagues. What's the story behind this dynamo? How does one person grasp a problem and envision a solution, and then rally key leaders to support the cause?

The first thing Gardner will tell you is that "one person never does anything by himself." She means this spiritually and otherwise. Beneath her direct, straight-shooting executive nature, you explore to discover the soft heart of this warrior for women.Then you find her deep religious commitment and hence her motivation and approach to life. It all started as a young age.

Daddy's Little Girl

When young Gardner Golston was growing up in Tyler, she studied carefully how her daddy problem-solved obstacles in his path. Spotting a shortage of party ice to be had on vacation in rural Alamosa, Colorado, her dad simply decided to start a water purification plant, so they could have ice, and a booming business ensued. Saw the need, fixed the problem.

Next, Dad has his favorite brands of groceries, but no stores there carried them, so he built a large supermarket in Colorado and stocked them. That business venture did well! Saw it. Fixed it. Then, he loved lettuce, but you couldn't get fresh lettuce in Arizona, where they spent the winter. You guessed it.

He was the first man to build a commercial vacuum packer for lettuce, and he hauled it on an 19-wheeler all the way to Arizona and had his salads in winter. Getting the picture? Young Gardner grew up never knowing a problem; rather she learned how to troubleshoot towards solutions. That, and never to take "no" for an answer.

The Beginning of The Prenatal Clinic

And so it was in 1985 when Gardner Osborn went to a rather nondescript meeting of the Episcopal Church Women's (ECW) group, and they were there discussing some potential project or other than bored her. Her mind wandered,and she wrestled with what is it in this town where the ECW could "really" make a difference?

At that annual ECW meeting, her subconscious dwelled on one factoid causing her great distress: Brazos County led the nation in perinatal deaths. The perinatal period covers five months before a child is born, and the first month after birth. Most women are familiar with this term. Most men aren't. Truth is, almost two decades ago, we in the Brazos Valley were leaders in poverty. In 1985 you had 30-40 mothers per month going into delivery who'd never had any prenatal care.

You've Got to Have Friends

Gardner then felt moved to action, and she started calling her friends. One of the first people she called was Anne Hazen, a nurse who shared the vision to establish a clinic where low-income pregnant women could come in, early in their pregnancy, and begin a program of prenatal care. Then, there was the call to the ebullient Topaz Hughes, someone she knew as a "mover and shaker." She got on board quickly.

Friend Margaret Ann Zipp publicized the first meeting calling for "anyone who was interested" and 15 people showed up. Gardner and Anne went all over Waco, Temple, Georgetown, and Houston's 5th Ward, exploring what was there as a pattern for what could be. The idea was taking shape.

Next, Gardner called Sr. Gretchen Kunz of St. Joseph Regional Health Center (as it was known then), and she readily donated a room at the hospital's property for $1/year on Osler Blvd. to serve as the first prenatal clinic site. There were two exam rooms, one tiny closetlike office, a small waiting room, and one community bathroom stall. They brought lawn chairs from home to place in the clinic's waiting room.

The local county health department really wasn't in tune with the idea yet. Undaunted, Gardner found a new path, as her daddy would have. She was determined to rub out that infant death statistic. She found a way. Although they didn't know it then, as a pretty good golfer. Gardner found a way to manage her tee times to coincide with those of a few key county officials...and they just thought it was by accident that they ran into her. Eventually, finally, the county offered a small stipend of support. Victory!

Every time state legislator Lan Bentsen needed a ride to the airport, guess who drove him, and then gave him an earful about how we needed help here? Bentsen really carried the flag for prenatal health funding here. Gardner drove the golf balls and the state legislative echelon...to see the need as her spirit saw the need. And as she was being relentless, for unborn infants and their mothers, who in their right mind could say no? Few did! Or if they said "no," they learned to change their answers.

A few local men were also key to securing excellent funding. Steve Ogden helped tremendously--state health care block grants and funding came our way with his help. Sr. Gretchen and St. Joseph were solid supporters. And Dr. Jesse Parr, Dr. David Doss, and board member Mark Bates, Gardner notes, were dynamic young doctors who saw the need and shared the vision and made the clinic a medical reality.

Who Goes There?

Chances are good you have never met a client of The Prenatal Clinic. But last year, over 700 women were patients of the clinic, and what a difference. It's hard to imagine that children from the clinic's first patients are about to graduate from high school. They very well might not be here if it were not for caring community volunteers like Gardner Osborn and her friends. It's so easy to not think about it, to take it for granted that every pregnant woman we know and care about has access to a good doctor, sonograms, medicines, and knowledge of what to eat and what not to eat or drink while pregnant. But, truth is, the need is stronger than ever. People are now coming here from outside our local area, because they need the services this clinic provides for prenatal care.

Today, the clinic has an outstanding executive director, Steve Koran, and he oversees as the community sponsors and support grows each year. Located next to the Brazos Transit bus terminal, the clinic's clients are able to get referrals to receive help with health, education, and financial assistance programs for which they qualify. There's also a "Baby Closet" for clothing and other items, WIC coupons, and various church women's groups hold Bible studies, and they throw baby showers instead of birthday parties for one another, and the gifts, then, are for the clinic's clients. How refreshing!

Gardner says, "The best news is that 85% of the women return after giving birth to go shopping in the Baby Closet. It's a family atmosphere where they can receive a great start, and excellent care from a nurse practitioner."

Writer Thomas Bähler and Fabulist Aesop Prove "Anything Is Possible" a Powerful Philosophy for Joy

The path to discovering the best book I’ve read in a decade has its own story, but the bottom line is: “Anything Is Possible: A Tale of Aesop” by Thomas Bähler (Æsop Production Company, 2013) is one that belongs in your library if you seek to shake up status quo and change your life. This book can help you change your perspective, using a brilliant teaching method that was taught to Bähler as a child by his father and his grandmother before him. More on how well that turned out later.

“I wish I could”…”I was going to be”….”I never had the chance to”….”Other people get all the breaks”… “I’ll never be able to...” Are any of these phrases part of what you’ve said to yourself as part of either wistful thinking or negative self-talk to reinforce why you are stuck in a rut, wallowing in mediocrity or are a shell-shocked survivor of shattered dreams?

Do you want to make a change? There’s only one thing you have to do. Believe that anything is possible and reframe your thinking to expect that there are no limits to what you can do in life. The book serves one purpose: to inspire and encourage you that there are no limits to your imagination.

Thomas Bähler proves a faithful guide to showing you the way, but he doesn’t do it for you, You must take his hand he offers, walk the path of Aesop, understand and participate in the Socratic method of asking and answering questions, and the outcome is you’ve made your own analyses, decisions, and created your own future by believing one tenet: “Anything is Possible.”

Young children about the age we meet Aesop are already active dreamers and creators and designers. What some children see when they look at the world is what “can be.” Adults may view a child’s drawing at face value, but ask them to explain what they “see” in what they’ve drawn.

If you listen to an adult who says, “You can’t do that. You’re too young. You don’t know. Instead, it’s an ingenious combination of taking a beloved children’s character, Aesop the Fabulist, and following a path the author created to chronicle his life, beginning with the premise “I wonder what kind of life Aesop had growing up as a slave and ending up as the most respected critical thinker in the world in his time.”

Young Thomas Bähler was gifted with an inquisitive nature to begin with—not unlike our book’s protagonist, Aesop. His first exposure to Aesop’s fables was when his father brought home a record of “The Tortoise and the Hare” for young Thomas. That was a start. In terms of Aesop, it was likely far more on a subconscious level that the Greek fabulist made his impression in the concept of critical thinking through puzzles and riddles.

And yet, it would not be until adulthood that the fullness of education provided by considering the path of Aesop would overtake Thomas Bähler’s life. Now at this point, Thomas was a very successful musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and overall creative who had been in demand throughout Los Angeles studio music circles for many years. Anything he tried came out well. That’s another book “What You Want Wants You,” but its genesis began with “Anything is Possible.”

Aesop was born a slave about 620 BC. He was raised by his mother, also a slave, and her attitude, while she lived, was almost identical to Lillian Bähler’s. When an authority figure takes an interest in you, inspires you by overcoming all obstacles to succeed, undergirded by faith in “anything is possible,” the opportunities that others might never see take on lives of their own and present themselves in such a way that you are presented with challenges and you must develop the solutions.

Taking that premise a step further, Thomas Bähler traces the rise of young Aesop from slave to adulthood by asking himself one question…”What if?” and it’s brother “I wonder what it was like for Aesop growing up.” The result is this fantastic book “Anything is Possible.” What you will find inside is truly…up to you entirely. You can read the words, know how to pronounce the names, search for quick answers and spend a few hours entertained and that’s a win.

Or, you can read the words, see the characters brought to life as Thomas’ writing makes entirely possible, and travel the roads with Aesop and Thomas as they journey through life. You will know 21st-century real-life people to match every characteristic of those in the book: Dione, Croesus, Danae, Helena, Hyksos, Theseus and others.

You’ll find yourself identifying with those characters so closely that you begin to see their faces as the faces of the people you know. You’ll visit and re-visit how you encountered these people in your own life, and study why it is that you reacted the way you did, and more importantly, how you can handle these situations better in the future. The journey is the answer. Aesop’s journey is the answer. Thomas Bähler is your guide and most amiable narrator, and new friend.

How you use what you see, among the questions and answers in the book -- through the eyes of optimistic possibility or through the shouts and yells of naysayers -- will determine how you can reach the highest potential of your life, or whether you remember stable and comfortable in the land of status quo. The book is not a how-to manual nor does it provide specific steps to success. However, what it does do, if you will follow the story provided and stay with the journey until the very end, is to imbue you with the clarity to see your dreams as real, as possible. Once you do, you will be entirely surprised with what happens next.

Get the book. Get the book. Get the book. But only if you want to achieve your dreams—if you dream it, you can do it. “Anything is Possible” is honest, insightful, and perfectly splendid. It truly is a pathway to joy.

Do yourself a favor: get your own copy. Click here to order. This review, written originally for Amazon.com, is also found at Bähler's Symphony of Words Inspires Brainstorming, Visioning, and Creative Dreaming

Ruthie Foster and Her Phenomenal Musical Talent

If you didn’t know where to look, you might have missed out on native Texan Ruthie Foster giving what was unequivocally the best show in Texas on Friday, March 3, 2017. Nestled in a warm and welcoming listening space that doubles as a church on Sundays, Main Street Crossing, in Tomball, Texas, the audience saw the roof raised and doors blown off by the electric-acoustic-dynamic rhythm as Foster and percussionist Samantha Banks held forth for 105 minutes that flew by far too soon. Theme for the evening was sharing love, faith, affirmations and the promise of good things to come.

For those who are newer to Ruthie’s music, the woman you see on stage—a phenomenal woman by the book of, and with the affirmation of, Dr. Maya Angelou herself—is today ever as humble, joyful, and talented as she was in 1998, when she was playing locally in Bryan-College Station at night while she ran camera and produced the early morning show at local CBS affiliate, KBTX-TV3.

When she started performing locally, everyone knew Ruthie had major talent and belonged in front of national audiences, but circumstances held her back for many years. Ruthie’s priorities of family and loyalties to friends have always come before fame or fortune all her life.

As a child Ruthie’s heart centered around the small town of Gause, Texas, which is located 11 miles from Hearne and 30 miles from Bryan-College Station. Many songs she sings on stage today were written in honor and in memory of her grandmother (Big Mama), a woman of great faith who was one of the “sisters who arrived thirty minutes before church started so they wouldn’t be late.” Friday night, as always, Ruthie’s song setups are simply conversations as though she were sitting across from the kitchen table with you, reminiscing, laughing, and wistfully looking into the distance at times, as you knew she could see the faces and hear the voices of loved ones in days gone by.

Ruthie’s powerful voice is natural, not forced, and she recalls the words of her mother, who always told her to “Sing, open your mouth and sing!” but her control of her instrument is what’s the most impressive factor to her singing. As a young woman, she took a break from studying audio engineering and music in college to join the U.S. Navy. Naturally, her musical talent was discovered and she toured with the U.S. Navy band, “Pride.” That was one way to “see the world,” for certain, even if it was on a tour bus. That would foreshadow her future in a way she could never imagine back then.

The talented young woman quickly secured a recording contract with a major label in New York City. And, she was on her way to achieving her dreams….when her mother became ill in 1993. Ruthie never gave it a second thought. She abandoned the dream and put life on hold temporarily where she and a great friend would provide tender love and care for her mother in her final days. Ruthie got a job with local KBTX-TV as camera operator and production assistant. Those early morning show hours were grueling but she had a lot of time to be with her mother, who died in 1996.

Then she had new life choices to make. Where to turn? Ruthie speaks of faith often but rarely her personal journey as it’s a personal thing to her. Much of her faith comes through in her songs, and the wisdom of her mother as well. “The secret of life is knowing when to compromise,” Ruthie’s mother often told her. There’s a song in that, she thought. She was right.

Her 2002 album “Runaway Soul” is a collaborative with the highly regarded Grammy-winner, Lloyd Maines as producer. Before she sang the title track, Ruthie modestly related what a privilege it had been to work with him early in her career. He had a great track record for excellence and he’d had tremendous success with the work of Terri Hendrix, his ongoing longtime music collaborator. Hendrix’s song, “Hole in My Pocket” is one made famous by both Terri and by Ruthie, and Foster often performs it in concert, at least when she’s in Texas.

Ruthie said, “When I got the master of “Runaway Soul” from Lloyd, I listened to it and I was astounded. I called him and asked, “When did you hire all those musicians to play the other instruments?” She knew they didn’t have a budget for that. His response was, “Oh, I just played them all myself.”

Ruthie laughed as she said, “That’s the kind of man he is; he knew we needed them and he just…recorded them all himself.” Her regard for those who knew her early in life, and in work, never wavers…that’s part of the beauty of Ruthie’s career path. She built a following that has staying power.

"Small Town Blues" is another song from Foster's 2007 album, "Full Circle" that she plays to help everyone remember "their early Ruthie" concert years.

In fact, you’ll find wherever Ruthie has found inspiration to write her songs, to record her songs, and to release her new CDs, a crowd appears. It may not be the same people each time, but anytime you are fortunate enough to see her in concert, she’s the same person you saw when you saw her the first time.

One example of her ability to recreate her original songs without change is in “Another Rain Song,” which she sang Friday night. Here’s a snippet of the song. Whether 1997 or 2017, it does not matter how long, Ruthie’s songs stand true today as yesterday as autobiographical of the passage of time.

Her voice remains unaffected by the legends she joins in concert. She has her own internal compass and knows how to navigate the waters, and she’s been honored and awarded so many times that stranger would be overwhelmed to know just how special she’s considered to be by the power players. She doesn’t say it in concert, but she’s a multiple Grammy Award Nominee (Best Blues Album)—first time was in 2010 for “The Truth According to Ruthie Foster” and in 2012 for “Let it Burn,” and in 2014 for “Promise of a Brand New Day,” but she fails to bring that up in conversation. Ruthie has also been awarded the Koko Taylor Award for Traditional Blues Female Artist of the year in 2016 as she had in 2013, 2012, and 2011, but she didn’t bring it up that night either.

Instead, she talked ever so briefly about playing the Bugle Boy in LaGrange on Saturday night and then on Sunday she would be going to New York. There was a concert she was asked to participate in, she said—an Aretha Franklin Tribute Concert. Humbly, she described her delight on being invited to participate.

Ruthie laughed and said, “Monday night, I’m going to be taking as many selfies as I can before they come and pull me away for taking too many selfies. It’s going to be on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, wherever.” That’s where her heart is—not for a minute is she considering herself one of the crowd chosen to honor Miss Franklin.

Instead of focusing on her awards, she mentioned she’d come to performing by an unusual path. With frankness and courage, Ruthie explained how speech was sometimes difficult for her. Recognizing her little one was very shy, Big Mama, her hero, stepped in to help.

“Every Saturday, for hours during the day, and then in the afternoon Big Mama would give me a poem to practice to say the next day in church. And we’d work on it all afternoon. Then on Sunday, I’d get up and say what I was supposed to say in front of the entire church. And that….is how I came to be at home in front of large crowds. She took her time with me.” Shyness, overcome; courage, infused.

The Main Street Crossing is in fact a church, a nonprofit that doubles as a church on Sunday and as an inviting music venue for all genres of music. Future artists include Michael Martin Murphy, Larry Gatlin, Mike Zito, Mark Chestnutt, (Aggie) Roger Creager and that’s just part of what’s happening in March. Marcia Ball, a conversation with Roy Clark, the Hit Men, Suzy Bogguss, in April; The Bellamy Brothers and Bonnie Bishop, Gary Morris and Johnny Rodriguez are due in May. June is Gary Lewis and the Playboys and two nights of Mickey Gilley. Tribute bands are a popular weekend booking as well.

Before Friday night’s concert, the family-style seating at tables (150 seats were filled Friday night) invited conversation and Texas hospitality demanded it. At our table, two people said they’d seen Ruthie several times in the past few years—just loved her. My music-loving friend and fellow writer, Rhonda Brinkmann (“There’s music? Let’s go!”) and I just smiled. The lady across from us said she this was going to be her first Ruthie concert. We smiled again.

The man across from us, the newbie’s date, smiled knowingly and said he’d listened to her latest CD all the way over in the car from his drive. Mm-hmm. Yes, you did. If there was a competition, and there seemed to be one brewing, for who’d been a fan of Ruthie’s the longest, it wasn’t going to be any of them (or me) who won it.

What I knew, that they didn’t, was that Rhonda and her friends used to work at a company in town that, in the 1980s, was also where Ruthie’s brother worked. Naturally, he got folks from work to come out and hear his sister play guitar—she was “really good” her brother said. That’s how long Rhonda had been a Ruthie listener. Two tables over from us were the real winners of the evening’s “how long have you known Ruthie” contest: Renn and Connie Carson.

Renn Carson is a major guitar talent and plays in any band he wants to, whenever he wants to; Connie’s a (recently retired) teacher—their entire family has always been second family to Ruthie from the very earliest and remains so today. But you’d never hear it from them. They are just as proud of and happy for Ruthie as everyone else in the room. When Ruthie was working on her early CD in the Brazos Valley, you’d find Renn and several other local legends on her albums.

During the concert, my mind flashed back to 1998, in the new Christian Life Center of First United Methodist Church in Bryan, where my best friend in volunteering and I had the chance to invite Ruthie to be the headliner for our opening celebration of the new building. We were thrilled she’d be in town for our Sept. 11, 1999 dedication.

She’d already been a frequent performer in Austin and Houston and people just couldn’t take it for granted even then that she’d be in town because her visibility had grown prolifically. The celebration weekend was called our “Full Circle Celebration” as it marked the creation of a magnificent new all-purpose building for what was a flourishing congregation in downtown Bryan.

Very soon after that celebration, she’d relocate and make Austin her home base, where an even larger group of people would support, encourage, and cheer like crazy whenever she sang. Back then transportation was an elderly red SUV that God and a great local mechanic kept rolling down Texas highways. Those days are long in her rearview mirror but her talent and her humility have remained unchanged throughout the years.

People look at today’s famous musicians and think that one day they just woke up and had a national tour and international acclaim. Doesn’t happen that way. Few people see the hours of practice it takes to stay your course, literally and figuratively. Ruthie and her faithful team of musicians and supporters made those late-night drives on Texas highways, crashing for brief rest and food and on to the next gig. Talk about paying your dues, Ruthie’s have long been paid in full. You never have as many friends as when you are doing well.

Here, Ruthie sings “People Grinnin’ in Your Face,” from her 2007 album, “The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster.” She smiled after she performed this one, slightly shaking her head. It’s still true today.

Before the song, she recalled the sisters of the church in the “Amen corner” of the church, who’d arrived early to make sure they were not late. Among them were a very young Ruthie and her “Big Mama” who would be part of that. She recalled it was hot on Sunday mornings, and everyone would have the cardboard fans to keep them cool. There would be “praying hands on one side of the fan and on the other would be greetings from the local funeral home.” Said Foster, “You’d have thought they’d have put some lyrics from the hymnal on there, too, so we could keep up.”

Continuing the visual memory, “They’d raise the stained glass windows and pray for a breeze. You’d hear cars coming past, going down the road. The sisters would hum in unison and one by one, two by two, folks were coming in. Pretty soon you’d hear the unison of the ladies in the church singing…”Well, don’t you mind people grinning in your face.” And with that, Samantha Banks used her tambourine to keep up with Ruthie’s a cappella “Don’t You Mind People Grinnin’ in Your Face.” She invited the audience to sing in later on and it was a good thing, too, because much of the audience was already holding forth with “A good friend is hard to find, because it’s hard with people grinnin’ in your face.” The soaring high notes, though, were all Ruthie’s to proffer, as no one in the audience could match them.

It was a cappella and you thought there was a choir of 14 people up there on stage. Delivery. Presence. Authenticity. Ruthie is true to her gospel roots. She mentions Mavis Staples in reverent tones before delivering a resounding version of one of Ms. Staples’ classics, “The Ghetto.”

Ruthie also sang Patty Griffin’s “When It Don’t Come Easy,” and reflected that “Music is a healer; it brought me through a lot of things and it brought me to a lot of wonderful things.”

Ruthie’s song “People Grinnin’ in Your Face” is from her album “The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster.” If you knew Ruthie, you’d know that it’s a title she earned, one given her by those who have supported and encouraged her music over the years. She would have never chosen it for herself.

In the same breath that she spoke of her unending admiration for Maya Angelou. She shared, “On my 50th birthday I got a signed copy of one of her books; she had personalized a message for me in the book. I still prize that. She found out that I’d recorded this song, based on one of her poems, “Phenomenal Woman” (you know the one). And I happened to be performing in the area where she was living in North Carolina and I went to my dressing room after sound check, and found a beautiful bouquet of flowers from her there.” Now, her voice trailed off as she reflected on the sheer meaning of those acts in her behalf.” Quietly she said, “Ah, talk about affirmation…”

Affirmation…a litany of CDs written, recorded and released, national awards, international travels and the growing fame associated with her name didn’t mean as much to her as the affirmation of a brave woman who had survived tragedy and misfortune in her youth to rise to be a beacon of hope for all women.

Samantha Banks was Ruthie’s only band member joining her for this evening in Tomball, but she was absolutely all that Ruthie needed for her acoustic/electric evening. Banks, a multitalented percussionist, played a partial drum kit, and a tambourine, some finger shucks, wind chimes, and spoons. Samantha rocked those spoons and made it all look effortless, as she provided perfect accompaniment on every song. She’s toured with Ruthie for years and is always an audience favorite as she sings as well.

Ruthie’s newest CD, “Joy Comes Back” (on her longtime label, Blue Corn Music), is available on March 24. Nearby, there’s a CD release party set in Austin on April 1 at 8 p.m. There, she’ll be joined by Carolyn Wonderland, David Grissom, Warren Hood, and the Peterson Brothers. Tickets range from $20-$44.50 and are available here. Word to the wise: Connie Carson (being family has its perks) said the Ruthie’s new album is fantastic!

One thing Ruthie accomplished in the Bryan-College Station area in the 1990s came about while she was actively touring on the folk circuit up and down the interstate. She made many friends along the way, and she brought them to town. Longtime local music enthusiasts remember the old Double Dave’s Pizza in the two-story building in Northgate. Double Dave’s would deliver your order (upstairs) and Ruthie invited her friends to perform on their Monday nights off between tours.

Attendance was solid every week they hosted them, the musicians made enough in freewill donations and CD sales to pay for their time, and locals had the chance to see musicians like Chicago natives “Small Potatoes” (Jacquie Manning and Rich Preszioso), “The Desberardos” before they became “Chris Beraro & The Desberardos,” and guitarist, Freebo, among others. The traveling troubadours also had a solid meal before hitting the road again. It’s a hard life, living on the road, whether you stay in four-star hotels or crash at a fellow musician’s pad. But when the applause begins, the hardship fades away to an artist who is validated with every new fan who says, “Your music really moves me.”

There’s not one singular episode, record, award, or milestone that Ruthie needs to validate her work as a singer as she searches for the “next” level. The next level simply means that many new people will discover the talent that Ruthie has had all along. She’s not “new here.” Ruthie Foster has always been phenomenal because she remains true to the songs inside her, and will never let the bright lights of the big cities change her.

On Friday night, Main Street Crossing shone brightly as a jewel in Texas music, and as small town blues and runaway soul took their place in the offering, Ruthie Foster took the entire crowd to their feet this weekend, with her always professional delivery, bright spirit, and wise words.

The Brazos River called her back close to home for a visit this week, and we were all the better for it. To keep up with her, visit her web site, www.ruthiefoster.com and check out her social media links there.

Keep singing, Ruthie, just keep singing and be yourself, and thanks for the concert that took us all back to church one more time. Nineteen years later, it really did all come around again, full circle. We always knew what Maya Angelou would ultimately come to affirm before she passed: Ruthie Foster is a phenomenal woman and musical talent.