By Ralphine Major “He took his role and played it well,” Bob Dagley said. Dagley, head coach of the Gibbs Eagles’ 1964-65 basketball team, was talking about Ron Graves, a senior starter for the Eagles. “I don’t think he realized how important he was to the team. When he set a screen, he set a […]
By Sarah Baker Friends of Literacy hosted a Readers’ Night Out event at Union Avenue Books on June 16. Local authors including Art Smith, Vince Vawter, Marilyn Kallet, Marcel Browers, Carole Anne Borges, Emily Strout and Pamela Schoenewaldt read excerpts from their work and signed copies. Twenty percent of all book sales benefitted Friends of […]
By Joe Rector I’d listened well, so when our anniversary arrived last December, I bought a tent, sleeping bags, tarps, and air mattresses for a new activity. Amy has this burning desire to camp and hike, things quite different from my preferences for sleeping in my own bed and mowing the yard for exercise. I’ve […]
By Rosie Moore The pineapple is a member of the bromeliad family. It is extremely rare that bromeliads produce edible fruit. The pineapple is the only available edible bromeliad today. It is a multiple fruit, one pineapple is actually made up of dozens of individual flowerets that grow together to form the entire fruit. Each […]
By Ray Hill Following the demise of Governor Gordon Browning’s plan to emasculate the Shelby County political machine headed by E. H. Crump, Tennessee Democrats were deeply divided. Governor Browning watched with dismay as his appointee to the United States Senate, George L. Berry, continued his feud with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Berry wanted significant […]
By Dr. Jim Ferguson A patient recently asked me how long I had been writing for The Focus. I couldn’t remember. However, I quickly divided two hundred and seventy essays by fifty-two weeks in a year and came up with five years of stories. I’ve wondered if my muse will someday leave me, but it […]
By Alex Norman The Tennessee Lady Vols softball team arrived at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City a confident group, after sweeping through the Regional and Super Regionals with a 5-0 record. That confidence did nothing but grow after wins over Florida, Washington and Texas advanced the seventh-seeded Lady Vols into the final […]
By Sarah Baker Last summer, I had my dream European Vacation paid for by someone who loves me. This summer, I’m back to my own budget. Therefore, I have devised a list of my favorite stay-cation choices for the summer. 1. Take a picnic and hike at Big South Fork. Located about an hour and […]
By Ralphine Major I can see it coming over the hill right now. I can hear it, too–our red Farmall tractor pulling a wagon stacked high with hay, young boys, and a dog or two. They would stop in the road in front of our house for snacks and a glass of ice cold water […]
By Rosie Moore When I was a young girl I spent a lot of summers with my great-aunt Sophie, who lived a few miles outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She was a diminutive lady of German ancestry with long, white hair braided around her head, sparkling blue eyes and a dimple in each cheek. There are […]
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