Here We Are Once Again!

It seems every year, we go through this ritual of "First Day of School!" And we all see the photos, and here the news stories, and we are riveted by the scenes around elementary and high schools of students feet being photographed or videoed for the TV news, and such, and hearing the sobbing mom's and the doting dad's saying how proud they are of their little one heading off to school!

Alright, lets drop back 40-50 years ago, and NO one and I mean NO ONE cared about the first day of school, other than the Teachers, and the parents that had to drop of their kids before they went to work, because during the summer we still had schedules.

I don't know about you guys, but for myself and my sibling, we were involved with Summer activities at the local elementary school, or later at a YMCA day camp near Bachman lake in North Dallas.

Memories come rushing back to me, as I remember the summer months of Camp Kiwanis, where we could go swimming, or canoeing, or even Dinosaur Bone digging along the spillway (yes there was one found and brought to the Dallas Museum of Natural History to be verified), we had camp councilors that would bring their guitars and sing "Big Blue Frog"  (if you don't know it look it up on You Tube by Peter, Paul, and Mary-- their album 1700), that made the Dallas Morning News, and my sister sitting right next to the longhaired councilor, who wasn't a hippie because he actually wore socks! (Swear that was one of the kids response when they were asked about his "hippie looks")

I remember being at that camp with a school mate of mine who played baseball and had to be excused from certain activities so he could play that night, or the time I was jumped on by four other campers to beat me up, and some came to my aid!

Going across Denton Dr, to the Marines Recruiting compound (Now a Dart Barn) where we could shoot .22 rifles and learn how to take care of a weapon-- and also how to "DROP AND GIVE ME 20!!!!"... (hey Vietnam was still going on, and military life was staring us in the face)

THEN after three months of that, it was time to go back to school! No fanfare, no trumpets blaring our return, just our neighbors walking the familiar walk to the elementary and seeing the flag raised, and our morning pledge of allegiance, and the morning announcements!

Some of us couldn't wait for our lunch break, and our social gathering in those days was meeting someone at the "Black Top" after lunch and hang out!

Music was a big part of elementary life, either singing in the choir or playing an instrument, for me it was the Violin, later the Drums, and when I got to high school it was being the Half Time Announcer for the band and drill team.

School-- first day-- last day-- it was the same, we got up, got to school, got educated, and left with accomplishment.

TODAY! Social media-- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest, you name it, SnapChat, people are on it! Sending their pictures of their younin's on there, to make all of us see how they were dressed for this first day of school, and how hard it is to let go for some of them starting High School, or their Senior Year of high school!

I have a good and dear friend who will send her youngest-- her baby off to College at the end of the month, and in doing so, that is a huge emotion to do that. Three hours southeast of Dallas, in a town where there's not much to do, other than go to College, and go to the Football Games, the Basketball Games or other events, and pledge a Sorority, and maybe get a job at the local sports bar, and basically watch the traffic lights flash yellow at nine o'clock!

Yep thats life at Stephen F. Austin State University! And in doing that, my friend will become an empty nester, and hopefully she will be able to do things that she has not been able, since being injured on the job a year ago!

But in any case.. FIRST DAY of school is done, and over with, and my memories, are a bit skewed, in as much as I just remember being kicked out of the house at 7:30 so I could walk fifteen minutes to the school, walk through the doors, and see my homeroom teacher, and seeing old friends!

Welcome BACK STUDENTS! it only 1 day out of 180 that you will be in school, and lets not forget, the Winter Break (used to be called Christmas Break at one time) Spring Break (used to be called Easter Break) and then SUMMER VACATION (now known as 2 months and a few days of laying around the house bugging the hell out of parents -- I'm bored-- there's nothing to do).. GET A FRIGGIN JOB!

I laugh, because that was the EXACT words my parents said to me when I told them that I was bored! And I did! made all the difference in the world!

So lets get through this first week, there will be pep assemblies, football games on Friday nights, and after the games the gathering at the local hamburger joints (in our day it was KIP'S BIG BOY) today its more like What-A-Burger or other fast food joints! Miss Kip's! Forest Lane and Marsh! or the one on Northwest Highway at Hillcrest! There were others, but those are the ones in my memory banks!

Hell for a real good time-- My parents would load us up in the car and take us down to House of Gong on Northwest Hwy and Marsh Lane (north of Love Field).

I digress! Its the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!  And in just nine short months it will be the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! and then GRADUATION! (even from kindergarten to first grade and from middle school to high school, then from High School to College- and then from College to Bankruptcy- because of your student loans!) just sayin!

It's just a thought! 

THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME 2015

Once every year, the Football Gods gather in Canton, Ohio, these are the ones that sit , not on top of Mount Olympus, no, these are the ones that sit in back rooms and gather and vote on the ones that should be inducted in the Pro-Football Hall of Fame, and from the perspective that I have seen—I will tell you that that they got it right!

Jerome Bettis,  “THE BUS” from Notre Dame, goes into the hall, he was a great running back, that just bruised everyone that got in his way, and won a Super Bowl for his efforts as well with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and with THE BUS going in from the Fightin Irish, so did another member of the Golden Dome’s…

Dallas’ very own, Tim Brown.. .and here’s a little tidbit information, Brown is the FIRST Dallas Independent School member to enter into the Hallowed Halls of the Hall of Fame.. a Heisman Trophy winner out of Notre Dame, and a Cotton Bowl Classic participant, then made his way to the Silver and Black of the Oakland Raiders, a punt return specialist, and a wide receiver that made defenders look silly once he got his hands on the ball and good move. Brown is the answer to a great trivia question… only ONE public High School in the Nation has produced TWO Heisman Trophy Winners, can you name the school? ANSWER: WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL, Dallas, Texas.. the other winner was TCU’s Davey O’Brien, and then a trophy was named after him in his honor for the best College Quarterback in the Country.

Another Dallas connection went into the Hall of Fame, #94 in your program #1 in your heart.. .Charles Haley. The big defensive lineman that helped Dallas to win THREE Super Bowls in the 90’s and before that, he took TWO with the San Francisco 49ers! HE is the ONLY NFL player to have FIVE SUPER BOWL RINGS and yet took forever to get into the Hall of Fame.

Aikman, Irvin, Smith, Sanders, Allen, they all went into the Hall of Fame before a FIVE TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMPION was allowed in, I am not saying that this is in justice, it’s a bit mind boggling. I mean Haley deserves his place in the Hall, no doubt, but I would have liked to have seen it happen before 2015, he has been eligible since 2004, and it took another 11 years to get there!

Junior Seau, the San Diego Charger linebacker, who tragically took his life after all the head injuries, and brought attention to the concussion issues with the NFL and NCAA and even into High Schools, was inducted in this class of 2015, and there was a bit of controversy to it as well, as the NFL was NOT going to allow his daughter to induct him into the Hall with a speech. Thank GOODNESS someone woke up and reversed that, and allowed a very well spoke, very gracious young lady to stand at the podium and speak about her Father, with not just love, but with the passion that JUNIOR played with when he was between the hash marks. It was fitting, it was well spoken, and Sydney was eloquent, and complimentary to the right people with the Chargers, the NFL, and especially her Grand Parents. The first Samoan to be inducted to the Hall and as she said.. most likely not the last.

The Pro-Football Hall of Fame is not just about the NFL, its about PRO FOOTBALL as a whole, though the majority of the members did play for NFL teams there were those who’s career were involved in the Canadian Football League the Arena Football League, and leagues that were before and even during the infancy of the NFL.

Canton, Ohio, a small town, with a big place in the NFL and the beginnings of Pro Football.

With the Class of 2015 secured in their place, this Hall is just a bit more class! Congratulations to the newest members of the Hall, and from my perspective, its great to see a Woodrow Wilson Wildcat enter, and another notch for the city of Dallas! Well done!

Just a thought.