Category: Dispatches

Here’s the question: Are you a bully? Or were you the victim of one? I was the latter. Reading about the poor teenager whose life has been irrevocably changed due to a spinal injury, the result of a bully’s fist punch to the boy’s abdomen, conjured memories of my High School days in the 1960s. […]

In 1865, the Sultana, a Mississippi riverboat loaded with Civil War wounded, exploded and burned; over 1,500 died. In 1914, the Empress of Ireland collided with another ship; 1,012 died. In 1915, the Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine; 1,200 died. In 1940, the Lancastria, part of the Dunkirk evacuation, was hit by the […]

On Sunday night, April 14, 1912, George and Eleanor Widener hosted one of the most famous dinner parties on board the Titanic in the ship’s elegant À la Carte Restaurant. The room was the last word in luxury. The tables were set with fresh flowers, bone china, and sterling silver. The amber-ish glow of crystal […]

As I enter my “golden” years, I often sit in the still quiet of the morning, a hot cup of coffee in my hand, pondering what the future holds and the past reveals.Thoughts of the future usually find me traveling down a bumpy road, ending in a dead-end. It’s best to leave those thoughts at […]

In the aftermath of the Titanic disaster, the ship became a metaphor for all of society’s misfortunes. The years leading up to the sinking had been excessively optimistic. Rich and poor alike put their faith in technological advances, believing mankind had reached the zenith of its knowledge. As one Titanic crew member stated, “God Himself […]

On a foggy, cold day, April 17, 1912, the cable-laying ship Mackay-Bennett steamed out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her destination was the arctic-cold North Atlantic. Her job was to search for and recover the bodies of the Titanic’s dead passengers. The crew aboard, all volunteers, were paid double for this sad, grisly task.      The […]

Like Dickens’ old curiosity shop, my little house is a repository of battered antiques, ruined finery, and dusty memories. Because less is best in interior design these days, when I shuffle off this mortal coil, my treasures may bring a buck-fifty at a garage sale. (Big Smile!) However, my collection of Titanic memorabilia might bring […]

“I don’t believe in fortune-tellers!” Edith said, sitting in the gilded splendor of Madame de Thebes’ Parisian salon, the most famous fortune-teller of the late 19th Century. “I shall predict your fortune anyway,” the lady said in the flickering candlelight, her voice low, her stare intense. “You are about to go through a dreadful experience. […]

       Deep within the submerged rusting hulk of the Titanic rests one of the world’s rarest books, a monumental painting of a naked lady and a mysterious mummy’s curse. Because the Titanic was practically unsinkable, so said the White Star Line, she was considered a safe haven for everything from objets d’art to expensive […]

Because by the Titanic’s grandeur, the glamour of its 1st Class passengers, and the immigrant dreams of those in steerage, everything from its rivets to its china patterns has been scrutinized. But what about the ship’s famous cat and the little bow-wows on board for that fateful voyage? There were 12 canines on board the […]

What can happen in ten seconds? You could try to kiss your date in a bar and have a drink thrown on your face. Perhaps you could score a winning goal? Every ten seconds, 104,500 Coca-Colas are consumed worldwide. Every ten seconds, a honeybee beats its wings 2700 times. And in just ten quick seconds, […]

When the word, battle, is spoken, what comes to mind? Perhaps famous conflicts like the Battles of Yorktown and Gettysburg, the Battle of Verdun, the Normandy Invasion of WWII, or the Tet Offensive? But other battles are often fought alone, battles of the mind: depression and fear, panic, loneliness, and anger. However, the famous battles […]

March 26, 1911 – Happy Birthday, Mr. Williams! Some years ago, I was asked why I wanted to direct “A Streetcar Named Desire.” I told her it was because of the play’s characters and what made them honest and authentic. Mr. Williams saw into their souls and allowed us to see their pain, hope, and […]

Here’s the question: What is the first song—Hymn, Big Band, Opera, Operetta, Rock-In-Roll, Symphony, Motown, Musical, etc.—you remember hearing. Me? It was the old hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” When I was a child, Dad, Mom, and I attended Biloxi’s Trinity Baptist Church. I couldn’t have been more than four or five; I remember it was […]

When I was a child in the late 50s, I often spent summers with my sweet Granny from D’Lo. Many a morning I’d hear moans and groans as she got out of bed. To my young mind, something was wrong. “Granny, are you okay?” To this good day I still remember her answer: “Honey, when […]

A thought on this frosty morning! In life, there will be those who will try to discourage you with their negative comments. They may mock what you do. They may laugh at your dreams. However, continue to do what you know is right. Don’t compromise. Don’t give in. By doing what is right in all […]

     Greetings! What a glorious, fun time Juliana and I had in New Orleans today! We had lunch at Domenica and what a feast for the palate it was. We began with a delicious appetizer of polenta and pecorino romano meatballs. That segued into our mail courses. She—Tagliatelle, slow-cooked rabbit with mushrooms. Me—Squid Ink Tagliolini […]

Twenty years ago, January 11, 1997, was cold, bitterly cold. The sun was shining, though, its warming rays sprinkling the winter garden of the Brent House Hotel in New Orleans with sparkling rays of sunshine. As I sat quietly reading, “The Nazi Doctors,” I could not wait to tell my Dad about it. I’d inherited […]

On a sad note, the death of Adam Rich. His last tweet was a retweet of his own post in September, discussing mental health. “Human beings weren’t built to endure mental illness. The mere fact that some people consider those to be weak, or have a lack of will is totally laughable … because it’s […]

The picture is fading, the champagne bubbles have melted away, but the sentiment still holds true, HAPPY NEW YEAR to my friends and loved ones. Because I have more years behind me than before me, I don’t want to leave this mortal coil with regrets. I look back over the last year and think to […]

Good morning on this, the beginning of another New Year! In keeping with last week’s Christmas Day post, I’m posting another one of my journal scribbles from 1984. It’s long, so you might want to get a cup of java or, better yet, a bit of left-over bubbly from last night’s festivities. “Jan. 1, 1984, […]

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I […]

Christmas is many things to many people. Giving special gifts. Traveling to unusual places. Fun with special people. But most of all, Christmas is a season of traditions. Each year at this time, families all over the world re-create those traditions. Perhaps it’s inviting family and friends to Christmas Day lunch, the same invites as […]

Good morning on this cold, cloudy day! Christmas means many things to many people. It can be a joyous time or one that is bittersweet. It can be a remembrance of loved ones who’ve gone Home. It can conjure the smells of hot spiced tea, a ham or turkey baking in the oven, or a […]

Dec. 19, 1997, was a Friday. Where were you? Me? I sat with friends in the Hardy Court Theater on Courthouse Road, waiting with bated breath for the lights to dim and for a movie to begin that I’d waited years to see: TITANIC. My dear friend, David Delk, had invited a slew of friends […]

     I’ve learned from experience that it takes me a week or so to recuperate from the draining, emotional high that a play–especially a musical–conjures within me. During that time, the haunting words of Blanche DuBois, from Tennessee Williams’ classic play “A Streetcar Named Desire,” echo through my mind like a soothing elixir: “I don’t […]

The snap I’ve posted below shows Scrooge’s little world for the past two weeks. Neatly arranged—of course—are the accouterments of his trade, after all. The old boy did his best to entertain the audiences that nightly filled the theater to overflowing. However, he was only a tiny part of the show. Had it not been […]

The Good Master, in His wisdom, keeps us on earth until it’s our time to go Home. How are you spending your remaining days? Sowing love, not hate? Sowing peace, not discord? Sowing right, not wrong? Sowing tranquility, not fear? Time’s a wasting. Use it wisely. Later Thinking Gaters!

December 7, 1941, was a bright, sunny Sunday morning. The sunshine glistened atop the peaceful waters of Pearl Harbor. Sailors in the big ships all over the harbor were getting ready for the day. Some saluted, as they raised Old Glory, its red, white, and blue colors flapping in the morning breeze. Some were eating […]

In this race called Life, we often find ourselves dashing about, hither and yon, in search of those things we think will make a difference in our lives. And in our mad dash, we often fail to remember that in the end, a dash of another kind will be the only thing that denotes our […]

Good for President Obama! “It’s not just sometimes folks who are mad that colleges are too liberal that have a problem. Sometimes there are folks on college campuses who are liberal, and maybe even agree with me on a bunch of issues, who sometimes aren’t listening to the other side, and that’s a problem too. […]

Good morning! I present for your perusal my entry in a photo contest sponsored by the Bubba Bohunkus Shutterbug Institute of South Mississippi. The photo is titled: Icicles On Wilson Drive Via Nozzle And Rubber Hose. The 1st place prize is a carefree weekend at the D’Lo Water Park! A tent, sleeping bag, firewood, and […]

Laugh, and the world laughs with me! Weep, and I weep alone. For this dying old earth laughs at my mirth, But cares little if I have struggles of my own. Sic vita est!

Good afternoon! I am thankful that the elections are over. Perhaps now we as a country can begin to heal. Let us put all rancor, hate, and violence behind us and move forward. Congratulations are in order. MR. BIDEN you’ve been elected by a majority and the Electoral College—a wounded nation looks to you for […]

 In the Prologue of GHOSTS ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI, the book’s author, Clarence John Laughlin, writes: “This book will attempt to present the evolution of Louisiana plantation culture, in terms of the contrast, and the adhesion of two subtly related, unlike, elements—that which may roughly be called historico-architectural, and that which pulsates around poetic vision.” Mr. […]

“A destiny that leads the English to the Dutch is strange enough; but one that leads from Epsom into Pennsylvania, and thence into the hills that shut Altamont over the proud coral cry of the cock, and the soft stone smile of an angel, is touched by that dark miracle of chance which makes new […]

Good morning! As a child back in the 50s, oftentimes after church, Mom, Dad, and I would eat lunch in the dining room of the Edgewater Gulf Hotel. After lunch, they would sit in comfy lawn chairs while I romped and played under the cathedral of oaks that graced the manicured lawn. In the fall, […]

     “It’s hard to believe they are gone. The piers are still there. The bon voyage baskets, piled high with impractical fruits and jellies, still line the shelves of the gourmet shops. In midtown Manhattan, there’s even a postcard still for sale, showing the Queen Elizabeth, Mauretania, a Sylvania-class Cunarder, the America and the Independence […]

     TITANIC! The mere mention of the name conjures sepia-toned images of elegant ladies and sophisticated gentlemen gliding up and down the Grand Staircase as they stroll to the Jacobean-style dining room or the cozy warmth of their walnut-paneled staterooms. Even the steerage passengers were exposed to luxuries heretofore unknown by them. Electric lights. Fresh […]

On a Sunday evening in the hot summer of 1966, my dear parents and I joined Gulfport’s First Baptist Church. As we walked down the aisle, and the pastor, Dr. William Tanner, greeted us, I was fascinated by the greenish-amber stained-glass dome soaring over our heads. I was fourteen. That walk and that decision is […]

“The Great Gatsby” is one of my favorite novels and movies. I’ve reread the novel twice, just within the last year or so, and watched the 1974 movie (my favorite version) about three weeks ago. Every time I read or watch “The Great Gatsby,” I discover a heretofore unknown treasure. Fitzgerald’s masterpiece weaves a rich […]

When we read about the Titanic, its 1st Class passengers, with their gilded wealth and posh lifestyles, are always front and center. 2nd Class passengers are mentioned too, a myriad of preachers, missionaries, businessmen, teachers, and middle-class families. When 3rd Class passengers are mentioned, most have one thing in common—the better life awaiting them in […]

In the summer of 1958, the Kalberg’s took a vacation to Silver Springs, Florida. While there, Mom packed us a huge lunch and off we went for a picnic. There’s Pop sporting some cool sunglasses while eating a delicious homemade bacon and tomato sandwich. And there’s me hugging a cold, coke-a-cola in a small bottle. […]

Micah 6:8 – “Do Justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God.” – was one of my dear mother’s favorite Bible verses. She was so inspired by this verse that she cross-stitched it as a New Year’s resolution in 1989. In her old red Bible, she wrote: “DOING justly means righting wrongs, championing the oppressed, being […]

As Father Time shuffles off this mortal coil and awaits the arrival of the New Year baby, I’ve come to the end of the year and the decade amazed at how quickly 3,650 days disappeared. I’ve also pondered the grains of sand that have sifted through the hourglass of my life. I can, however, remember […]

“I love you.” To my knowledge, my dear father never said these words to me. But did he love me? He was, after all, a man who grew up in hard times and lived with the limitations of a heart seared by childhood scarlet fever. During the Great Depression, when Dad was in his teens, […]

As I enter my “golden” years, I often sit in the still quiet of the morning, a hot cup of coffee in my hand, pondering what the future holds and the past reveals.Thoughts of the future usually find me traveling down a bumpy road, ending in a dead-end. It’s best to leave those thoughts at […]

Ever had a TV series change your life? I have. The 1981 Masterpiece Theater series, Brideshead Revisited, based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh, was that life changer. While watching it, I was whisked back to Oxford, England, in the 1920s. The ancient buildings, the men’s clothes, and their posh manners, coupled with the intrigue […]

In the 1960s, the Mississippi Gulf Coast was suspended in time. Unlike today, there were no high-rise apartment buildings, garish casinos, ballparks, or aquariums. There were, however, magnificent houses, grand old hotels, mom-and-pop motels, full-service gas stations, sophisticated nightclubs, and a few not-so-sophisticated ones. Time wasn’t necessarily standing still, but it certainly wasn’t winning any […]

In a country torn apart by race, anarchy, murder, and death, the Book of Proverbs is a good read for those who long for wisdom in these dark days. Even if you believe the Judeo-Christian Bible is nothing more than a book of fairy tales or at best, a quasi-history book, it can still be […]

With the onslaught of a caustic election, coupled with a toxic virus, I’ve heard people say, “I have nothing to be thankful for.” Really? Let me tell you what I’m thankful for. After a good night’s sleep, I awoke this morning and planted my feet on the softness of a Persian rug. Thankfully, my feet, […]

For those who know me, you know that I keep a journal, which I started in 1966. I was fourteen. Reading back over the years is bittersweet – the mountain tops, the valleys; the gains, the losses; the loves, the unrequited loves; but most of all, it’s the memories of bygone days that jump off […]

When I was a child in the late 50s and early 60s, Thanksgiving was always a family affair. Mom, Dad, and I usually celebrated it alone, just the three of us enjoying a simple, pleasant time together. Mom cooked a traditional meal for lunch, I helped wash the dishes, and then we were off on […]

“Kal! We’re going to Disney World for New Year’s! And we’re staying at the Grand Floridian! I won’t take NO for an answer!” I could almost feel Aston’s excitement crackling through the phone lines. “I’ve not seen you in years,” his voice pleaded, “Please go with me.” It had always been hard to tell him […]

While watching old movies, I often wonder if the actors who appear in them ever watch themselves on TCM. As they stroll down memory lane, what do they see in the flickering gray light of their former theatrical glory? Do they chuckle at their pratfalls, draw a deep breath remembering an uncomfortable costume, or wipe […]

Death is multifaceted. After a loved one passes away, first comes the pain of loss, the tears, the funeral, the closing of the casket, and the cemetery. Not long after, though, the business side of death comes calling. The will’s read, banks, and financial institutions are contacted, death certificates sent. After days, or weeks, or […]

Christmas is many things to many people. Giving special gifts. Traveling to unusual places. Fun with special people. But most of all, Christmas is a season of traditions. Each year at this time, families all over the world re-create those traditions. Perhaps it’s inviting family and friends to Christmas Day lunch, the same invites as […]

One year ago today, February 22, 2019, God called my dear mother Home. The morning was foggy with rain. A dull silence filled the house. I’d slept a somewhat sleepless night, pondering what the future held for Mom and me since she was practically bedridden. When I checked on her in the wee hours of […]

Because of my age, my friend’s parents are in their late 80s or early 90s. Attending their funerals is bittersweet—happily they’re Home, though, no more tears, no more pain. Their funerals evoke something else, too, another day and age. While waiting to offer my condolences to family members, I enjoy watching the sideshow of vintage […]

I love this month—warm days, somewhat cool nights, a respite before the onslaught of a sticky-hot, south Mississippi summer! I also love lilies and caladiums. It gives me great pleasure to lovingly plant the bulbs in winter. Then, in early spring, one by one, their little, bushy-green haloes slowly emerge from God’s rich earth. As […]

In 1962, at the ripe old age of ten, I remember thinking, “Seventy! Yikes! That’s really old!” As I sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my seventy-year-old Aunt Pocahontas Maria Price (yes, that was her real name), I studied the deep crevices in her sweet, wrinkled face. Her thick glasses made her eyes look like huge, deep-blue […]

Dear Mom, Oh! How I miss you! I don’t know where the past four years have gone since last I heard your sweet voice, felt the warmth of your loving touch, and saw the sparkle in your blue eyes. Do you remember the day we took this picture? It was in the early 2000s for […]

Mama’s been in Heaven three years today. While sitting on the seawall this morning, looking out across the tawny-brown waters of the Gulf, the morning mist against my face, I thought of that rainy morning that God called her Home. I remembered Mama’s low, raspy breathing. How quiet and still she was. And how warm […]

Twenty-five years ago, the early morning air was thick with the smell of melting frost. Dusted with shards of sunlight, the ice glazed everything it touched with a kaleidoscope of prismatic colors. As I stood, looking out a window of Ochsner’s Intensive Care Unit, little did I know that come day’s end, the frost would […]

                  For those who knew my father, you know how gregarious he was, never meeting a stranger. Boy! Pop could talk, but only when he had something to say. Otherwise, he was hidden behind the latest issue of the Daily Error, as we old-timers loving call our local fish wrapper. If not reading the […]

                  I am thankful that the elections are over. Perhaps now we as a country can begin to heal. Let us put all rancor, hate, and violence behind us and move forward. Congratulations are in order. MR. BIDEN you’ve been elected by a majority and the Electoral College—a wounded nation looks to you for […]

By this time one-hundred and eight years ago, the real ship of dreams, R.M.S. Titanic, was no more than a twisted wreck, surrounded by a graveyard of people’s lives, memories, hopes, and dreams. Ever since my Dad and I watched the 20th Century Fox movie, “Titanic,” one Saturday afternoon in 1966, I’ve been mesmerized by […]

Early this morning, I had the strangest dream that I’ve had in recent memory. In it, I was sitting on the banks of a placid, indigo-blue lake. In front of me, a velvety carpet of verdant green grass, dappled by the sunlight shining through the trees, slowly sambaed its way to the water’s edge. Pairs […]

Twenty-five years ago, it was a windy, cold afternoon. I stood in a long line at the picture show with a massive crowd of strangers. After purchasing my ticket, I found my way to my favorite seat, under the projection booth window, and nestled into the seat’s turquoise-blue upholstery. Then I waited, waited with anticipation […]

My father loved to travel. His two favorite means of travel were the family auto or by train. Planes were a last resort because Pop loved to see the countryside. Two of our road trips by car are acid etched in my memory. One was in 1964 when I was 12. We were gone three […]

In a country torn apart by race, anarchy, murder, and death, the Book of Proverbs is a good read for those who long for wisdom in these dark days. Even if you believe the Judeo-Christian Bible is nothing more than a book of fairy tales or at best, a quasi-history book, it can still be […]

Good evening from London. We went to Westminster Abbey this afternoon. I was awestruck by its majesty and grandeur. Sam and I decided to go our separate ways while in the Abbey. Later in the day, I went looking for him, and found him in the tomb where Elizabeth I was interned. With an ashen […]

Who’s the chubby kid standing near the orchestra, I asked while sitting in the choir loft of Gulfport’s First Baptist Church? Don’t you know, replied a fellow choir member? His name’s Keith Ballard. He’s singing the boy soprano part in our cantata. And thus began my friendship with Keith. He was in the 6th grade, […]

By this time, a year ago today, I was on Delta flight 4874 bound for Atlanta. Later that evening, I flew out of Atlanta on Flight 0032 bound for London’s Heathrow Airport and the fulfillment of a fifty-five-year-old dream. The 1960s British TV show, The Avengers, instilled a dream in my heart. And my dear […]

While recently waiting in line for some eye meds at the local apothecary shop, I spotted what I thought was an old friend of mine, who seemed to whisper, “Please don’t leave me here. It’s been so long since last we met.” I didn’t and quickly picked up the reissued National Geographic magazine that initially […]

On Christmas Day, 2016, the sunlight slowly melted the delicate tracery of the morning frost hugging the rooftops on dear ole Wilson Drive. Little did I know that would be my last Christmas with my “mom.” Why the quotations? Although Mom was not called Home until 2019, Christmas 2016 was the last time she was […]

On a Sunday evening in the hot summer of 1966, my dear parents and I joined Gulfport’s First Baptist Church. As we walked down the aisle, and the pastor, Dr. William Tanner, greeted us, I was fascinated by the greenish-amber stained-glass dome soaring over our heads. I was fourteen. That walk and that decision is […]

One year ago today, February 22, 2019, God called my dear mother Home. The morning was foggy with rain. A dull silence filled the house. I’d slept a somewhat sleepless night, pondering what the future held for Mom and me since she was practically bedridden. When I checked on her in the wee hours of […]

As Father Time shuffles off this mortal coil and awaits the arrival of the New Year baby, I’ve come to the end of the year and the decade amazed at how quickly 3,650 days disappeared. I’ve also pondered the grains of sand that have sifted through the hourglass of my life. I can, however, remember […]

Christmas is many things to many people. Giving special gifts. Traveling to unusual places. Fun with special people. But most of all, Christmas is a season of traditions. Each year at this time, families all over the world re-create those traditions. Perhaps it’s inviting family and friends to Christmas Day lunch, the same invites as […]

The crazy, chaotic summer of 1969 is remembered for many things: Woodstock, Chappaquiddick, the moon landing, the Zodiac Killer, and Charles Manson. But for those of us who lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we remember only one thing about that summer: Hurricane Camille. Her very name conjures visions of apocalyptic destruction, heartache, and death. […]

For those who knew my father, you know how gregarious he was, never meeting a stranger. Boy! Pop could talk, but only when he had something to say. Otherwise, he was hidden behind the latest issue of the Daily Error, as we old-timers loving call our local fish wrapper. If not reading the paper, he […]

Just finished watching Kenneth Branagh’s remake of Agatha Christie’s classic tale of murder on the Orient Express. While watching the movie, I could not help but think of a time in the not-to-distant future–when my dear mother no longer needs me–that I too may take a long train ride in the depths of winter. I […]