A Life of Words

William Paul Rowe served his country in the U.S. Army for just over 20 years. He’s one of the rare — and extraordinary — Americans to have fought in three wars: World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Miraculously, Bill was never wounded in combat, despite being in perilous battlefield situations in each. Last Saturday (Dec. … More Happy 94th and a heartfelt thank you to an American hero — a cousin I didn’t know until nine years ago

A few dozen folks gathered Friday afternoon (Dec. 3) in the fourth-floor lunchroom of The Dallas Morning News at 1954 Commerce St. on the east side of downtown. There were refreshments — even booze — and light snacks, but it was by no stretch a party. Another several dozen who couldn’t make it in person … More After a remarkable run of 31 years at The Dallas Morning News, Keith Campbell retires, saying: “I love you all. I love this place.”

Ever heard of an 11 p.m. happy hour? Well, my copy desk friends and colleagues at The Dallas Morning News and I had one Tuesday night — a virtual happy hour via Zoom! And we had a blast! It’s been a long, long time since the journalists of The News have all been together in … More What could be more fun than a Zoom happy hour after hitting deadline at the newspaper?

The pitcher let loose. In the left batter’s box stood 14-year-old Aaron Adair, his feet shoulder-width apart, weight on his back leg ready to explode forward. Left hand curled around the bat handle and stacked firmly on top of his right, he gripped 32 inches of aluminum, parallel to the dirt, over his left shoulder. … More The Laughing Survivor

Look at these bright, smiling faces. They’re amazing, gracious, compassionate, loving and supportive folks. You can tell that just looking at them, can’t you? And I’m lucky to know them all. As many of you know, I’m an adoptee, born in Huntington, West Virginia, in February 1961. I went through most of my difficult youth … More Meet some folks I’m darn blessed to know. They’re not exactly family … but they are.

After suffering from chronic headaches for as long as I can remember — and being unable to get them diagnosed by multiple physicians — I finally decided to try a medical procedure to see if it might help. This past Friday, after recent consultations with an ear, nose and throat doctor in Arlington, I had … More A new medical adventure: Balloon sinuplasty in hopes of saying adios to a lifetime of headaches

Funerals are never easy. We shed tears at the loss of loved ones while sharing memories both happy and sad that we’ll always carry, keeping the essence of the family member or friend we’re honoring alive in our hearts. Each of us has our own history with the person who’s gone, our own grieving process … More A funeral, a long-overdue reunion with family, making beautiful music on a ’62 Gibson, and singing Carpenters songs

Sharing this cool photo from the Blessed To Be An Astros’ Fan Facebook group, where over 43K fans incessantly post their devotion to the team. The poster says the shot was taken early this (Tuesday) morning, 12ish hours from first pitch in Game 6 of the World Series between the Astros and Braves, who lead … More It comes down to this: Astros-Braves Game 6. And if the Astros win, I’ll be cheering them on in person at Game 7.

I wrote this opinion piece — better known as an op-ed — for The Dallas Morning News, where I’ve spent nearly 22 years as a copy editor who also writes every so often (much less than I’d like). We published it in our Sunday edition a week ago, and I thought I’d share it on … More So long, Facebook, this goodbye is forever

This, baseball fans, should be a great one.  When the playoffs started, this eternal pessimist didn’t figure on the Houston Astros getting this far. They’d been woefully inconsistent at times at the plate, despite being near the top of the major leagues in runs, hits and average all season, outscoring opponents by an overwhelming margin. … More It’s Astros vs. Braves in the 2021 World Series. They don’t call it the Fall Classic for nothing.