Several years ago, there was an article in the Rotarian by Grayson Kirk titled “The Four Marks of an Educated Person.” It is my privilege today to pass along Mr. Kirk’s article to see if you agree with him. After reading this article I personally agree with him, but I also know that we need a great deal of common sense, which in many cases is sadly lacking. Now to the article:             No. 1 “The educated person speaks and writes clearly and precisely, no matter how much information he…

As a nationally syndicated columnist, I am always on the lookout for good ideas, those I feel will be of interest and helpful to you as one of my readers. From my perspective, there is no one in the world more important than you are. These ideas come along sometimes in the most unorthodox ways. The other day my wife and I were having dinner at a great barbecue restaurant here in Conway called Whole Hog Café. This little restaurant sits alongside Interstate 40, one of the most traveled interstates…

The other day I had a great suggestion from my friend, former County Judge Jim Baker, who said, “We should not eliminate our incentives.” What he was saying is that we should always have something out in front of us that inspires and motivates us. He was so right, and I felt it would be worthwhile to expand on this idea for you and my other readers, because it has a lot of great benefits. The word “incentive” means, “that which incites, or tends to incite to action, motivating force.”…

Have you ever thought about what it means to pay tribute to another person? According to the dictionary it means, “To give acknowledgement to, an expression of gratitude ,or to pay a compliment to another person.” Just wanted to make sure we are speaking the same language today, because I want to pay tribute to a very special lady by the name of Joyce Nell Garrison. Joyce Nell is now past 90 years of age, but what a special, dedicated life she has lived. First, here’s a little background before…

Did you hear about Johnny O. Muddle, the young man who was kicked out of the service academy? He was 19 when he was caught cheating, but his problems really began much earlier. When he was 6 years old, he was with his father when they were caught speeding. His father handed the officer a $10 bill with his driver’s license. “It’s OK, son”, the father said, as they drove off. “Everybody does it.” When he was 8, he was permitted to attend a family council, presided over by Uncle…

The other day a friend came up to me at our Lions Club meeting and asked this question: “Where do you get all those stories that you use in your column?” I told him they had come as a result of collecting them from various sources over the past 25 years. During this time, I have heard many outstanding speakers, listened to inspirational tapes, read countless books and have heard hundreds of sermons at the various churches I’ve attended. In addition to making brief notes, I have a very good…

It took me a couple of months, but I finally finished the most fantastic book I have ever read in my life. Titled “Bibi,” it is the life story of Benjamin Netanyahu. The book has more than 650 pages with 65 chapters of very small type. There are several reasons why I loved this book so much. First and primary is because I am a Christian and I totally support the nation of Israel, the land that was given to God’s people several thousand years ago. I am sure another…

The “Merry Mex” pro golfer Lee Trevino once said, “There is one thing that never gets old, and that is winning.” While Lee was just talking about winning golf tournaments, he may not have known that he hit the nail on the head when it comes to the concept that drives our whole socio-economic system in this country. If you will think about it, the vast majority of us want to “WIN" anytime and anywhere there is a competitive activity involved. Most every school in this country has athletic teams,…

As you can tell by the title, to produce this column I am going to need some help, since it’s obvious that I am not a mother. However, I am married to a terrific woman who is a mother, and I have asked her to help write this column for us. This is a very important topic, and my prayer is that you will read and heed very carefully what Janis has to say, especially since she is highly qualified. --- I appreciate the vote of confidence from Jim, but…