I'm proud to have known two very fine men who will always be associated with Bonham: H.G. Delaney and Sam Rayburn.

As many economists have suggested, the farther away we are from last the economic downturn is also the closer we are to the next. Consequently, the inevitability of a recession is not in question, just the catalyst and date.

A major question here is this; why was Ilhan Omar criticized for her so-called "anti-Semitic" remarks while President Trump’s suggestions of "dual loyalty" were questioned only by those who are following closely the rise of Judeo-phobia and Islamo-phobia in the USA?

As we face the hottest part of a hot summer, it worthwhile to recall a time when summers were longer, but less of a trial and more of an adventure.

In an impressive new book entitled The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator, Timothy C. Winegard argues that the lowly mosquito is the ultimate predator for humans, having been responsible for the death of fifty-two billion of us, nearly half of all humans who have ever lived. He also calls them "the ultimate agent of historical change." To understand his argument we first need to establish some basic facts about this insect, found in Wikipedia.

If Elvis Presley were alive today he would be 84 years old, twice the age he was when he passed away at the age of 42 on August 16, 1977.

When all the first Christians were only Jewish, a Gentile (non-Jew) had to convert to Judaism first to become a Christian; but the Apostle Paul convinced his fellow Jewish converts to the new faith that the Church was a "spiritual Israel" open to all—including women! His metaphor of one’s "heart being circumcised" opened Christianity to being gender and ethnic inclusive.

The Texan Theater in Greenville, Texas reminds you of stepping into one of the famous Las Vegas theaters years ago in downtown Las Vegas. The sound, lighting and seating structures are just awesome.

Here is some more Sho' 'Nuff Official State Stuff. And, to borrow from Robert Earl Keene, "...the road goes on forever, and the party never ends."

Since I'm planning to offer a class this fall on "How to Write Your Own Obituary," I've been looking for good examples. One characteristic of a good obit is to identify the interests of the deceased person, by naming things he/she really cared about or enjoyed. For example, the recently-published obituary of John Crawford, a longtime Denison newspaperman (who served with me on the Grayson County Historical Commission), reminded me of something he and I shared: "A consummate fan of the English language and its misuse, he took particular joy in a good pun, a double-entendre, or typographical error in printed form. It was always funnier when it was someone else’s goof."

Five of the many WNJ Auxiliary volunteers. One of my favorite quotes about volunteering is, "You make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give back."

"Jim Crow" was the name given to local and state laws that legalized racial segregation after the Civil War, which were enforced until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In some states, not only African Americans, but also Mexicans and Native Americans were targets of segregation.