April 27, 2026 - In 1937 my father, Cecil, decided to get into county politics. For reasons known only to him, he filed for the position of County Clerk of San Augustine County, Texas. He had no experience in politics, nor any other office work. He had been a painter and paperhanger contractor, working with his father, Felix, and younger brother, Marvin.

My father ran on the motto, “Give a Young Man a Chance”. The current county clerk had been in office for several terms and was much older than my father who was 32 years old at this time.

December 9, 2025 - Who would have ever dreamed that Santa would rob a bank!  But, it happened in Cisco, Texas.   On December 23, 1927, a man dressed as Santa Claus walked down the sidewalk in downtown Cisco, followed by several small excited children, and into the First National Bank.  After shooing the children away, he pulled out a gun and robbed the bank.

October 14, 2025 - So you and your friend have had an argument. There appears to be no solution in which each can save face. What can you do? We have all found ourselves in situations in which severe difference of opinions have resulted in total severance of contact. Perhaps the answer would be what the American Indians did, bury the hatchet. But, is this a figure of speech, or a literal action?

September 22, 2025 - Have you ever been caught in a “catch-22” situation? I think most all of us have at one time or another. Just what is meant by this phrase, and from whence did it come?

The “official” definition of “catch-22” is this – “a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules.” A good example of this definition is the following: You want to find work. You find a job that you think you could do well. You ask for the job, but are told you cannot have it. The reason? It’s because you have never done the job before.

August 18, 2025 - I always considered myself to be a good driver. I have driven ambulances, hearses, and police cars and have never had a mishap. Only one traffic ticket is on my record from 1967 (it was my wife’s fault, but that’s another story) in Houston, Texas. I have taken driver training courses and even a police pursuit course while in Colorado. However, with all that background and experience there is one thing I cannot do – back up a trailer.