Erby's gone; hot dogs not the same

The funeral service for Erby Walker will be held at St. Paul AME Church in Atlanta tomorrow. The longtime counterman at the famed Varsity drive-in died of a heart attack on Monday at the young age of 70 according to the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A Varsity employee for more than 50 years, his was the best-known voice among many crying out, "What'll ya have?" to eager customers.
I always appreciated his efficiency and emphasis on readiness. It was consistent with the small sign near the counter that reads: "Have your money in your hand and your order on your mind, so we can get you to the ballgame on time."
When Erby quickly calculated and revealed the total due was NOT the time to start fiddling with one's purse or digging for change in one's pocket.
"Spill it out! Spill it out!" I've heard him say to customers holding up the line to search for another penny or two.
And no one spoke the Varsity lingo better. I loved hearing him almost sing: "Two dogs walkin' through the garden."
He served celebrities and common folk like me with the same dedication to getting us through the line and to our seats quickly. Good food and quick service are a great combination that has caused me to visit the Varsity often over many years.
The world's largest drive-in was started by the late Frank Gordy, a one-time Georgia Tech student, whose daughter Nancy Simms now runs the fast-moving operation.
The Tech community is blessed to have a pedestrian tunnel that takes them from Bobby Dodd Stadium under the multi-lane Downtown Connector (I-75/I-85) to the hot dog haven.
My favorite Varsity memory comes from the early '80s when I grabbed a peach pie and Coke one day and quickly completed an entry form without paying attention to the contest.
But a call from the Coca-Cola Co. revealed that I had won a wonderful weekend in Atlanta that included two nights at the Marriott and tickets to the UGA-Tech football game.
The highlight was when a limo driver picked us up at our hotel and drove us to the Varsity. There Ms. Simms escorted us to a linen-covered table and brought us all the dogs, rings, pies and ice cream we wanted. I still have the Varsity "VIP" badge she pinned on me.
The limo driver waited patiently outside and then drove us over to the stadium although it would have been an easy walk.
It was fun — for a night — to see how the other side lives. And the seemingly odd combo of limo and chili dog was pleasing as well.
So today I tip my hat to Erby Walker for good and faithful service to many of us through the years. I look forward to stopping by the "V" soon for a chili-slaw dog in his honor.
(AJC photo by Louie Favorite)

Get Smart

Upon returning from the recent Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in Memphis, a friend called to give this reflection that must have surfaced during the flight home.
"I know why we (moderates) lost the Southern Baptist Convention," he said with evidence of a smile being revealed over the phone. "One of our leaders compared SBC fundamentalists to Nazis, a guest speaker denied the deity of Christ and the next meeting is planned during a holiday period in Houston."
He is a loyal critic who understands — like most reasonable people — that missteps at such meetings get overexposed while the best aspects garner little attention. But while missteps shouldn't define CBF, they don't help either.
Enough — or more than enough — has probably been said about former CBF Coordinator Cecil Sherman's poor analogy in response to the release of his new book. Those who don't know him personally would make a grave error to define him by this one episode of poorly chosen words. (We all would like to put words back in our mouths on occasion.)
I recently heard a TV news commentator say politicians (and I'd add all others) should refrain from any use of Hitler or the Holocaust for comparisons. Always, they are inadequate and insensitive.
The relentless work of Baptist Press, the public relations arm of the SBC, has given John Killinger's theology more exposure than the dozens of other CBF workshops combined.
Both Killinger and BP were wrong to suggest that those in attendance generally agreed with his interpretations. That's not what I heard in the hallways.
While I have enjoyed reading his work over the years, it is legitimate to ask whether Killinger, who is not a Baptist, should have had such a semi-prominent (three-part workshop, not main session speaker) role in a national CBF gathering — if his theological positions were known.
At the least it was an error to call his presentations (including one on his personal relationship with Jerry Falwell) "Bible study." They were not, at least not as most Baptists understand the concept.
However, CBF leadership would be equally criticized if they put too many strictures on those Fellowship participants enlisted to plan the program — which year-in and year-out are superb in providing for worship and a call to mission.
CBF's strength of a broad embrace and a willingness for many to lead is at times its weakness as well. But it is preferred by many of us over heavy-handed control.
Finally, Houston is fine place to hold a CBF General Assembly. July 2-3, 2009 is a bad time to do so.
That might work in Orlando, where the strong base of CBF in the Southeast might drive families down for vacation. But Houston will require air travel for many CBFers. And the thought of flying home on Independence Day is not attractive.
If not altered, the 2009 assembly might make the Memphis event seem massive. But then Baptist Press will surely be there scouring the seminars and exhibit hall for something to offend their orthodoxy.
We all have lessons to learn. A good one for the CBF family is: whether speaking extemporaneously, planning a program or leading a breakout, keep asking, "How will this play back home?"

Warning: Heed warnings

For years I have half-listened to flight attendants warn that, in the event an aircraft should lose cabin pressure, oxygen masks will descend from the compartment above.
The warning is always followed by an illustration on how to put the yellow cup over your mouth and nose, secure it with the elastic band and breathe normally.
But it was a bit of shock when the compartment doors above opened simultaneously and the masks appeared before us on an otherwise smooth flight from Atlanta to Memphis last Wednesday afternoon.
We did as told and then sought to clear our ears as the plane descended quickly from 24,000 to 10,000 feet.
Some comfort came when the pilot said the two air conditioning units had blown but the engine was in sound working order.
A few minutes prior to the episode, I had detected an odd smell.
Though not a master mechanic, I drove enough clunkers in my youth to know that such oil-burning smells often lead to roadside assistance. But no one seemed to be concerned at that moment.
We made it on safely to Memphis via the low-altitude route. But the experience will cause me to pay more attention to warnings in the future.
Since 1966, cigarette manufacturers have been forced to print warnings about the health dangers of smoking. Yet I watch otherwise bright young people — born decades after the warnings first appeared — sucking away on the nicotine sticks.
Warnings — even about life and death matters — are often ignored.
False warnings abound as well — so it takes some discernment in life to know which ones to ignore and which ones to heed.
The Bible warns against many things like greed, selfishness, retained anger, unbelief, coveting, judgment of others and much more. These warning certainly deserve our close attention.
Usually I am reading a magazine or newspaper when the flight attendant gives emergency instructions prior to takeoff. Rarely have I "looked around to locate the nearest emergency exit" as suggested.
But I intend to pay closer attention in the future. In fact that may be exactly what a warning means: PAY ATTENTION!

More or less in Memphis

Spending a few days in Memphis has been more of a pleasure than expected. The anticipated heat and humidity gave way to comfortable summer weather.
The downtown area is more appealing than ever with live music, a nice in-town ballpark and, of course, good food.
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly has provided the chance to see and hear many things — more or less.
Let's begin with the "less" side. There are fewer participants than at previous Fellowship gatherings — with about 2,000 attending to varying degrees.
Many factors impact attendance. I'd suggest these three are the major ones here: (1.) There are fewer local drive-ins since West Tenn. and the surrounding communities in Arkansas and Mississippi would not have the number of local moderate Baptists as would Atlanta, Birmingham or Charlotte, for example. (2.) $60 fill-ups can tip the scales against a road trip for those who otherwise might have driven a few hundred miles for this event. (3.) Many ministers used convention funds and time-off to attend the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant earlier this year.
On the "more" side, I am impressed by the way participants seem to have their "favorite" ministry causes and have become advocates for them.
Many times I've been stopped by someone who wants me to write a story about the creative ministry effort in which they or someone they know are engaged. (My "story ideas" list is growing.)
If nothing else has been accomplished in recent years among Baptists, the idea that the Christian mission resides in the hands of every individual is taking hold.
Missions is more than a monthly church check sent to a denominational office. While cooperation is still greatly needed, such funding does not lift the mantle of mission from churches and individuals.
This day (Friday) will provide the opportunity for more inspiration and ideas. But I've had enough pork ribs for awhile.
(Hint: Neely's served up the best I've ever had.)

Happy birthday, Dr. Taylor

Dr. Gardner Taylor, deemed by Time magazine as "dean of the nation's black preachers," turns 90 today. Happy birthday!
We wish him well and thank him for decades of stirring preaching and faithful ministry, including 42 years at Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dr. Taylor lives in Raleigh, N.C., now. In May 2006, I spent time with him while he was giving lectures (preaching, that is) during the Chester Brown-Hampton Baptist Church Preaching and Worship Conference hosted annually by Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.
(The interview is in the July 2006 issue of Baptists Today.)
Then approaching his 88th birthday, Dr. Taylor said he could "feel the spray of the Jordan in my face." We are pleased he has been given more years to reach this milestone of age 90.
A civil rights activist who helped birth the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Dr. Taylor received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000. But one hears no name-dropping or bragging — just moving messages of hope and grace — when around him.
"The Civil Rights Movement lifted from the nation an awful pall of shame and hypocrisy," Dr. Taylor said in response to one of my questions. "It not only freed black people; it delivered the nation to be free from shame."
On the need for preachers to keep their egos in check, he said: "'I' is the slenderest pronoun. I think a preacher should not try to hide behind it."
"The strangest thing is the kind of meanness that can accompany supposed orthodoxy," said Dr. Taylor, concerning fundamentalism. "The worse part of all of this is that it is not about orthodoxy; it is about power."
Some of Dr. Taylor's sermons are available in collections from Judson Press as well as from other sources. For several years I have enjoyed his book, The Scarlet Thread, very much.
Happy 90th birthday, Dr. Taylor, and many more!

A legend lost

Alma Hunt died Saturday night at age 98. The longtime Woman's Missionary Union leader was considered a great friend to missionaries and an advocate for racial and gender equality.
Her successor, Carolyn Weatherford Crumpler, once described Ms. Hunt as "a dominant force for missions and women" who was "never afraid to take a stand for what is right."
More deserving tributes will follow. But here is the obituary provided by her family.

Obituary released June 15, 2008 by her nephew, W.D. Roe Jr., Roanoke, VA:
Alma Hunt, an icon in Baptist missions worldwide, died Saturday evening June 14, 2008 in Roanoke, VA. She was 98 years old. Few Baptist mission leaders have been as widely known and beloved in their own lifetimes.
Funeral services will be held at Rosalind Hills Baptist Church in Roanoke on Wednesday, June 18 at 10:00 A.M EDT. Burial will follow the service at the family plot at Evergreen Cemetery, Roanoke. Visitation will be held the previous evening, Tuesday June 17 from 7:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. EDT at Oakey’s Roanoke Chapel on Church Avenue S.W.
Miss Hunt is a Roanoke native who touched lives through service in 93 countries. Since returning to Roanoke in 1985, she continued until recent months to encourage all Christians to share Jesus Christ globally.
The Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions was named in her honor in 1998 by the Virginia Woman’s Missionary Union and Baptist General Association of Virginia. Since then, nearly $10 million has been given through this annual offering for Christian ministries throughout Virginia and the world.
John V. Upton, executive director for Virginia Baptists, said “Because of her example and faithfulness, Virginia Baptists will always remember her. She has heralded the cause of missions straight from her heart. When Virginia Baptists were shaping a new vision for the 21st Century, she was its first champion. She has been a bold and influential leader not only for women, but also for all Baptists around the world and especially for Virginia Baptists.”
Miss Hunt was born October 5, 1909. Biographers have attributed her accomplishments to a strong supportive family in Roanoke, and to her nurture by First Baptist Church in Roanoke. She was groomed for leadership by pastors such as Dr. Walter Pope Binns and Mrs. Binns. She was active in the church and citywide Young Woman’s Auxiliary, a branch of the Woman’s Missionary Union.
In 1931, she attended her first national-level Baptist conference, at Ridgecrest, North Carolina. From then on her talents as a promoter of missions were in demand by national leaders among Baptists. Her wider ministry began as an unpaid recreation leader and speaker for WMU conferences.
She attended Longwood College, but the Great Depression brought her home early to begin a school teaching career in Roanoke. At age 19 she took her first class of 52 students at Clearbrook School. Soon she was named principal of the school. In 1931, she and another teacher began the Grandin Court School in Roanoke. She served as a primary teacher or principal in Roanoke schools until 1944.
She resumed her own studies at Longwood College, graduating in 1941. She earned a master’s degree from Columbia University in New York, specializing in the new field of student personnel administration. In later years she received doctorates from William Jewell College and from University of Richmond.
She left Roanoke in 1944 to become dean of women at William Jewell College in Missouri. Studies toward a doctorate at Columbia University halted in 1948, when she was elected executive secretary of the Southern Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union. She moved to Birmingham, AL where its offices were located, and she became an active member of Southside Baptist Church.
Under her leadership, Woman’s Missionary Union of the SBC grew to its all-time high membership of more than 1.5 million. WMU sponsored its first nationwide conventions for girls. She wrote the widely studied book, History of Woman’s Missionary Union, in connection with the 75th anniversary of WMU. She supervised a staff of more than 100 and a multi-million dollar budget. WMU’s publishing business expanded with periodical circulation of one million.
She led WMU to active support of formation of the Women’s Department of the Baptist World Alliance, which took form during her first year as WMU executive secretary. She was a founder of the North American Baptist Women’s Union, a branch of the Baptist World Alliance which began with 14 different Baptist denominations. She served as president of NABWU from 1964 to 1967. In 1970-1975, she was vice-president of the Baptist World Alliance.
She was a board member of the American Bible Society and was active with the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs.
Her first retirement came in 1974, at age 65. She had served professionally with salary as a missions executive for 26 years. Now she would begin an even longer term of service, 34 years, as an unpaid volunteer.
From 1976 until 1985, she lived in Richmond, VA. She served without salary on the staff of the Foreign Mission Board (now known as International Mission Board). From 1976 through 1979, she had the unique task of being consultant on women’s mission work around the world. She visited 45 countries to help women to organize, to establish mission-sending programs, and to encourage mission workers. In the USA she maintained a full schedule of speaking, traveling, and writing in behalf of missions.
In 1985 she returned to Roanoke to care for her mother and to enjoy her nephew and nieces. She lived at Sotheby Square. She wrote a book of stories from her international experiences, entitled Reflections from Alma Hunt. She co-authored Leadership Legacies. She maintained a growing schedule of speaking about mission work to churches and conferences.
By this time, she had no official title, but she selectively used her influence to shape new and growing forms of mission participation. Baptists kept her in the spotlight as a dynamic example of Christian living and aging.
In 1985, the Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia built Hunt Hall in her honor at CrossRoads Camp and Conference Center. In 1984-1985, Virginia WMU also contributed funds for construction of the Hunt Library and Archives at the headquarters building of Woman’s Missionary Union, SBC in Birmingham, AL. Later WMU, SBC created the Alma Hunt Museum as a missions education display concerning her life and her historical collections.
She has been an active member of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, which also has an Alma Hunt archival collection.
In the 1990s Miss Hunt spoke up in support of new forms of cooperation in missions. In 1995 at the 150th anniversary of the Southern Baptist Convention, she was the one woman among denominational statesmen chosen to bring historical addresses. At this time, she said, “Missions is what makes me get up in the morning.”
In 1997 she was named an “Honorary Emeritus Missionary” of the International Mission Board. Also in 1997, Alma Hunt Cottage was built in Salem, VA as part of the developmental disabilities ministry of Hope Tree Family Services (formerly known as Virginia Baptist Children’s Home). She became a frequent visitor and encourager of the residents.
She was an active supporter and board member of the Rescue Mission in Roanoke (Roanoke Valley Mission Centers). She was named to their emeritus board of directors.
The Alma Hunt Theological Library was created in her honor at the John Leland Center for Theological studies in Arlington, VA, in 1999.
In 2001, she was a founder of Global Women.
In that same year, she received the first Jeter Award from the directors of Virginia’s Religious Herald newsjournal in recognition of denominational service. In 2002, she was inducted into the Mainstream Baptist Network Hall of Fame.
In 2004, she was given the Judson-Rice Award by Baptists Today news journal, headquartered in Georgia. The award recognizes “a current Baptist leader who has demonstrated important leadership while maintaining the highest integrity.”
In 2003, she transferred her membership to Rosalind Hills Baptist Church in Roanoke. In January 2007, Rosalind Hills Church notified her that it had decided to ordain her as a minister of the gospel. The pastor, Tom Stocks, said that Hunt’s ordination came about “75 years late. Our people wanted her to know that we appreciate the way she ministers to us and to people around the world. The idea of a special blessing for Alma and her great ministry arose from the grassroots of our congregation,” Stocks said.
She was listed in the first edition of Who’s Who of American Women, (1953) and she was also listed in Who’s Who in America. Her archival collections may be found Virginia Baptist Historical Society in Richmond, VA and at Hunt Archives of Woman’s Missionary Union in Birmingham, AL.
Miss Hunt was the daughter of Myrtle Wertz Hunt and William Otis Hunt. Her grandparents were apple farmers in Poage’s Mill and Bent Mountain area near Roanoke. Her first international awareness was Grandpa Hunt’s shipping apples for sale in England. Her younger siblings and their spouses, who lived out their lives in Roanoke, were William Otis Hunt Jr., with his wife Anna; and Louise Hunt, who married William Dickinson Roe.
She is survived by her nephew, William Dickinson Roe Jr. and his wife Nene of Roanoke, and her niece Mary Anna Hunt of Indianapolis, IN.
Great-nieces and nephew are: Christian Griggs of Atlanta, with wife Bridget and sons Robert and Sean; Stephanie Sawyer of Indianapolis with son Will and daughter Annabelle; Jane Hunt Griggs of Grass Valley, CA with daughter Bella and son Phaedon; Dabney Griggs and son Ayalyte of Grass Valley, CA; Ashley Roe Gilreath of Manteo, NC with husband Jim and sons James and Reid; Amy Carder Roe of Denver, CO; and Catherine Roe Gilreath of Roanoke with husband Fred and daughter Caroline.

The interminable question

CNN's witty reporter Jeanne Moos — equipped with a stopwatch — showed an partial (mercifully) video clip of a question-and-answer exchange from a John McCain Town Hall meeting.
The audience participant — identified as David Wheeler — rambled on for about three minutes before offering anything that ended with a question mark.
I noticed he included "as a Christian" and "the Bible" among his disjointed ramblings.
Though not known for his patience, Sen. McCain smiled and tried to get the man to phrase something in a way that the candidate might offer a response.
"I'm going to ask you for the third time for a question," McCain said at one point as the crowd grew restless.
It felt like open-mic time at a Southern Baptist Convention.
With more pressure from the crowd than the candidate, the man finally asked McCain why one should vote for him.
The answer was brief.
The sadly funniest part was when the man — after about three minutes of setting up his vague question — confessed to being a bit hoarse.
Imagine that.
In political rallies, church services and other public gatherings, we often discover that some of us prefer talking over listening.

Throw out more churches, please

Much has changed as a result of the Fundamentalist takeover the Southern Baptist Convention that began nearly three decades ago. But one thing has been consistent for a long, long time.
During the SBC annual meeting, anybody can — and often will — go to an open microphone during a "miscellaneous business" session and make a motion.
The motions can range from well-crafted and relevant to venting about something that got stuck in one's crawl while walking over from the hotel.
The motions are either ruled out of order or referred to committees. A few make their way back to the convention floor for debate and vote.
Two motions this week (that were referred to the SBC Executive Committee) related to throwing out churches.
A pastor from Wendell, N.C., wants a Ft. Worth, Texas, church bounced for being too friendly to gay and lesbian persons. The other calls for booting the few Convention-related churches with female pastors.
Most moderate churches with minimal SBC connections would be done a favor if the Convention tossed them out. It would save them from having to explain again and again to their congregations about the nonsense that permeates that organization.
Give fundamentalists 50 percent plus one and they will gladly impose their agenda on the remaining nearly half of a congregation. But I've consistently watched more moderate churches retain minimal relationships with the SBC and state conventions for the sake of a very few members.
For most of these churches, dismissal from the SBC would be as painful as the brier patch was to Brer Rabbit.
Of course, the irony is that the SBC Executive Committee declined a call to create a database of Baptist ministers found guilty of sex crimes. The information could be helpful to congregations searching for a new minister.
The reason given by Executive Committee leaders: local church autonomy.
However, many current Southern Baptist leaders (as evidenced by the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message and other actions such as these motions) don't trust churches with the basic freedom to call their own pastor or minister to all persons as they feel led.

When short memory is a gift

Atlanta Braves fans gave a collective sigh of relief last Friday night when the Phillies' Chris Coste popped up in the ninth inning with two outs and two men on base. The Braves, who have not done well in one-run games this season, were up by one.
The simple pop fly landed in the palm of second baseman Kelly Johnson's glove — and then popped out onto the ground.
Things came unglued and the home team lost.
It is a play the sure-handed second baseman could make 5,000 times in a row. But not this time.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Kelly (though clearly disappointed) didn't hide from reporters. In the locker room, he took his medicine after the game and tried to explain the unexplainable.
Major Leaguers don't drop pop-ups. But, on this crucial occasion, Kelly had done so.
Kelly Johnson is a favorite at our house. He is a class act — a hustling player with a sweet left-handed swing.
He has always been very nice to my daughters at the ballpark — from the time he came up as an outfielder with a linebacker's number on his back through his starting role as a second baseman who hits second and wears number two. (In baseball parlance, when "the deuces are wild.")
But last Friday was surely a humiliating experience for one of the more humble players in a game full of inflated egos.
The next day, however, Braves manager Bobby Cox — who hates to lose more than anybody — tried to put things in perspective.
During a pre-game radio show, the skipper said: "In this game, you have to have a short memory."
Of course, he was explaining that letting something negative like this burden you down can lead to other mistakes. He is right.
But the idea of a "short memory" can be applied more widely than a ballgame.
All of us have said or done something unthinkingly and regretted it. We would have done anything to take it back, but the damage was done.
The episode replays in our minds again and again, each time bringing fresh regret and pain.
Whether it be our errors or the errors of others, indeed, we need the gift of short memory in order to move on. But it is hard to the keep the mental recording from playing again and again.

(Excuse the repetitive theme of baseball-related blogs. But that's what I enjoy this time of year.)

The youthful retiree

Longtime Baptist campus minister Marshall Kerlin is a man of numbers.
On July 31 he will turn 56 years old. Add to that 29 years with the Georgia Baptist Convention and he qualifies for retirement benefits.
So on Aug. 1, in the words of former Braves announcer Ernie Johnson Sr.: "This one is...outta here!"
Marshall served students in and around Americus, Ga., for 27 years before being reassigned to Middle Georgia College two years ago. He looks forward to being back closer to his family and church family soon.
Marshall and his wife, Becky (a public school music teacher) taught preschoolers and lent their good voices to the choir and a quartet at First Baptist Church in Americus for more than a quarter-century. Their return will feel like a homecoming for both them and the congregation.
Their son, Scott, is a minister of music, youth and children in nearby Dawson, Ga. He and his wife, Meagan, just celebrated their first anniversary.
Daughter Christi owns and runs (with Becky's after-school help) a dance studio in Americus. She and husband, Chris, will give Marshall and Becky their first grandchild in early December.
No one could possibly add up the number of students Marshall has positively influenced through 29 years of ministry. At least 60 of them are now serving in some form of vocational ministry.
Four of his former students have followed in Marshall's footsteps and serve as Baptist campus ministers: Lee Sullens at the University of North Carolina, John Ridley at East Carolina, Bill Grissett at Dalton State College and Chris Fuller at Mercer University.
Tuesday night, some family and friends gathered at The Bullpen sports bar next to Turner Field in Atlanta for a celebration of Marshall's impending retirement. There is no place he would rather be than at a Braves game (and you don't have to drag me there either).
Marshall and I have seen hundreds of games over the last 25 years or so. Most were at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the current Turner Field or spring training facilities in Florida.
Although he jabbers endlessly about every possible scenario and statistic — the game never gets boring when he is around. And when I give out with the bantering after about six innings, he finds some stranger seated nearby with whom to carry on the conversation.
Together we could out-manage any manager in baseball — in our minds.
In retirement, Marshall plans to be a substitute teacher and to play a lot of bridge. Speaking of numbers, Marshall is a gold life master bridge player. He ranks number 60 out of 11,000 contract bridge players in Georgia.
The teaching money will fund his trips to various bridge tournaments around the country where he can rake in more points.
But his retirement plans also call for a return to the ballpark. As a student, Marshall worked three years (as an usher and on the grounds crew) for the Braves.
His first night on the job was April 8, 1974, when Hank Aaron hit number 715 to surpass Babe Ruth as the all-time home run champion.
(And, yes, Marshall has reminded me at least monthly for nearly 30 years that he saw it live and I did not. Of course, I was just a young high school senior in Ringgold, Ga., at the time.)
So Marshall is submitting his resume to the Atlanta Braves this week in hopes of securing a seasonal job upon retirement this summer. They would be wise to put him somewhere in view of the game and where the answer to any possible Braves trivia question would be helpful and appreciated.
While I must continue laboring for many more years, I look forward to being with my old buddy Marshall whenever possible. He keeps me feeling younger.
No one has ever entered retirement with so much vigor and childlike enthusiasm for even the simple things of life. It is a perspective needed by us all.
Best wishes, my friend.

Meet Fred Shuttlesworth in Memphis

His name is not as widely familiar as Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, Joseph Lowery, John Lewis and Andrew Young. But in the struggle for civil rights — especially in Birmingham, Ala. — no one played a bigger role and few paid a higher price than the fiery Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth.
Historian Andrew Manis (now on faculty at Macon State College) chronicled Shuttlesworth's personal journey and powerful influence in A Fire You Can't Put Out (1999, Univ. of Alabama Press) — winner of the 2000 Lillian Smith Book Award.
About that time, Manis brought Shuttlesworth to Macon. I have never heard anyone speak of the civil rights movement in such clearly spiritual terms.
Learning that the civil rights leader (who endured a 16-stick dynamite explosion at his home and another assault on his family for trying to enroll a child in a white school) had become a pastor in Cincinnati, I paid him a a visit for a story in Baptists Today.
My friend and then-director for Baptists Today, Carolyn Weatherford Crumpler, arranged the interview.
It was summer so I took my then 8-year-old daughter along to visit with Carolyn and Joe's grandchildren and to meet this unsung hero.
Those attending the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in Memphis this summer will also have the chance to meet the octogenarian civil rights leader and hear Manis recount his incredible story.
The event will take place at 9:00 AM (CT) on Thursday, June 19, in Ballroom E of the Memphis/Cook County Convention Center. There is no charge. The Whitsitt Baptist Heritage Society will present its annual Courage Award to Rev. Shuttlesworth.

(Photo from michigandaily.com)