School Story:
You guys remember all the racial tension we had at school. Well, good ole Bobby Dunlap (who I liked then and still do) was looking for an idiot, I mean , a campaign manager when he was running for Class President. Although I repeatedly told him no, he insisted all I had to do was introduce him before he spoke at assembly. He told me I could help bring blacks and whites together if I would do this so I reluctantly agreed. Little did I know at the time of the speeches, that Mr. Lewis had rejected Bobby's written speech as too inflammatory and made Bobby write an alternate speech.
So, the socially retarded, white, dirt-farmer patsy, nervously introduced Bobby and slinked back to my seat on the stage. If you were there, you probably remember the fiery speech Bobby gave. All the "good ole boys" in the audience began to boo and hiss at Bobby and some began to leave up the isles as some teachers tried to corrale them back. I began to have visions of my "demise" right then and there.
I laugh about it now, but I honest-to-God feared for my life for a while. The travel brocheures to South Vietnam began to look pretty good for a time. WHEW!!
Staying on the subject of race, one of the most endearing, intelligent, motivating teachers at East was Coach Lash. I came to admire and respect the big burly black man with the booming voice who was a genius at math. His image and words have stuck with me through the years. He and Mrs. Ross were my two favorite teachers at East because of their integrity and caring for other people.