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July
21, 2012
Let me say here at the outset that I for one will never vote for a politician
who will get down in the gutter and slander, and misrepresent their opponent by
negative and malicious advertising by direct mail, radio, or phone calls. You
know and I know there are politicians who will say anything and do anything to
get elected and stay elected. It is high time we stop electing ethically
challenged politicians and start electing statesmen and stateswomen.
Please vote on July 31st and
sent a message that we are not stupid and won’t be lied to. I know its only rock
and roll but I like it. Did you know Mick, Keith, Charlie and the other
Rolling Stones are celebrating 50
years together as a band? 50 years, a half century of not getting no
satisfaction. I saw the Steel Wheels tour concert at Grant Field at Georgia Tech
light years ago. Mick Jagger was like watching a hummingbird who’s had way too
much Red Bull to drink. He never stops moving on stage.
Rolling Stones keyboard player and
former member of the Allman Brother Band
and long- time acquaintance Chuck Leavell told me that Mick Jagger and Keith
Richards were actually pretty normal guys. Say what?! Chuck says that they were
great folks who loved what they did. I guess you’d have to if you had done it
for 50 years. Rumor has it they are going to do another world tour in the near
future. I know it’s only rock and roll, but I like it. My favorite American band
since I graduated high school is Chicago.
They are performing at Chastain Park in Atlanta next week and I am taking
Presley to see the greatest horn band ever. Presley is 10 and has been in
church summer camp in Marietta this past week. On the 11th I went to
Monica Pearson’s retirement soiree at the Fox Theater. It was fantastic. I met
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed who I feel has a future in national politics someday.
He has done a great job in administrating Georgia’s capitol city. I saw “Mama”
Jan Smith who is the vocal coach of acts like Usher and a teenage singer named
Justin Beiber. Fred Blankenship, David
Chandley, Brad Nitz, Glenn Burns, Zack Cline, Chuck Dowdle and other WSB-TV
legends were there. I met Karen Minton who I’d give up biscuits, gravy, and red
meat for. She could make a bunny rabbit break a log chain.
Television doesn’t do her justice.
She is absolutely stunning in person and a very sweet lady. She grew up on a
farm in California and her father worked for Pacific Gas and Electric and ran
the family farm. Karen loves country music and has a 6 p.m. bedtime for getting
up around 1 a.m. for Action News at 4:30 a.m. The event allowed many of us to
meet Monica’s sweet and saintly mother and her daughter Claire who possesses her
mother’s sparkling personality. Robin Roberts who for a time worked at ESPN and
WAGA TV in Atlanta and now co-anchors
Good Morning America flew in from
New York to emcee the celebration of the career of a Georgia natural resource.
Monica’s last day on the air is scheduled for next week. I won’t be the only one
who will shed a tear in honor of one of the dearest people I know. Her
humanitarian and awareness efforts have touched hundreds and hundreds of
thousands of people. Monica Pearson’s husband John is a retired DeKalb County
police detective and is so proud just to bask in his wife’s glow. Monica,
Jocelyn Dorsey and I took the Rider’s Edge motorcycle safety course several
winters back. That weekend will never be forgotten for the laughs and the smiles
we all shared. Monica’s plan is to go to graduate school at the University of
Georgia and to eventually take the path of teaching at the college level. I’d be
willing to bet she will get her doctorate and be the president of a college or
university someday. Mark my words. Many of us are deeply saddened by the passing
of Michael “Mallard” Albright who recently passed away. He was a long time
Tallapoosan who was a member of the Tallapoosa Red Devil marching band and
played trombone and knew his way around percussion instruments. Michael
was a member of one of the first groups I was ever in. “The Wild Frogs” had
Mallard and Jimmy Couch on Trombone with Bink Dawson, Joseph Johnson, and Mike
Pope playing trumpet. Ted Straton played keyboards and is responsible for the
nickname I made a living with for decades. I played drums and it was a fun, fun
time. I have a picture of the Wild Frogs hanging in my living room. Michael
Albright loved fast cars and NASCAR. I saw him less than 3 weeks ago at
Tallapoosa’s Waffle House. He had lost 60 pounds. He was battling a number of
health issues. One time in high school I was riding with him
coming back from a road trip to Radio
Shack at Greenbrier Mall and he gunned his ’64 Impala up to speeds that aided in
busting a piston. His dad had to come get us in Villa Rica on a cold rainy
Saturday evening. That was a most uncomfortable ride back to Tallapoosa. Michael
was an alum of Lyman Ward Military Academy and Tallapoosa High School’s class of
1966. He had a long career as a long distance truck driver. Michael Albright
served in the United States Marine Corp. Semper Fi Mallard. We will miss you. I
recently had comedian Tim Wilson as a guest lecturer of my media class at
Kennesaw State. Tim is not only a funny stand-up comedian, songwriter, and actor
but he is also an author. He wrote a book a couple of
years ago tying America’s most notorious serial killer Ted Bundy to the
Columbus stocking strangler murders of the late ‘70s. A very interesting book
for fans of true crime non-fiction reading.
Rhubarb Jones is a Tallapoosa native and a Distinguished Lecturer in the
Department of Communication and Director of Special Projects in the Office of
Development at Kennesaw State University. Comments are welcome at P. O. Box 6,
Tallapoosa, GA 30176 or you can email comments and suggestions to
rhubarbjones@aol.com Previous columns
can be found at
www.tallapoosa-journal.com
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