Kes: Why I Am Not A Writer
May 19, 2026
Mostly, it’s because you have to think too much. You have to focus and keep your mind on track.
Opinion
273 articles
Comptroller Finds Tennessee Reconnect Enrollment Declining, but Participants See Positive Outcomes
May 13, 2026
The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) has released a new evaluation of the Tennessee Reconnect Grant, providing an updated look at how the state’s tuition-free program for adult learners is being used and how participants are performing.
Musings from the Gordon Browning Museum
May 12, 2026
About the time I married Barry Summers many years ago, his younger brother Joel finished mortuary school in Cincinnati and moved home.
Kes: Charlotte Hit The Nail On The Head
May 12, 2026
I did not graduate from high school as valedictorian. Buddy Wiggleton consoled me by reminding me that was not the goal. I was not the salutatorian either. Buddy Wiggleton consoled me by reminding me that was not the goal.
Wit and Wisdom: Stress is Good for Us
May 12, 2026
I think God allows these things to happen to give us an opportunity to grow stronger. If we never had to struggle to get through hard times, our spirit wouldn’t grow.
Wit and Wisdom: Don’t Do Just What’s Most Convenient
May 5, 2026
It was just one brief scene from our marriage of ten thousand scenes, but it was one that had the power of the burning of Atlanta scene in “Gone With the Wind.”
Musings from the Gordon Browning Museum
May 5, 2026
Through the years, my mother utilized the local Governor Gordon Browning Museum a lot.
Kes: Mothers Spend Their Lives on the Front Line
May 5, 2026
When I was nine years old Elvis Presley was the biggest thing in the universe. You could not turn on the radio without hearing “Heartbreak Hotel” or “You Ain’t Nothin’ but a Hound Dog.” Everybody in the world was enthralled with him….
Kes: I Want To Have My Operation On TV
April 28, 2026
Folks, this is pretty serious today.
Wit and Wisdom: Suicide
April 28, 2026
It’s one of the few if not the only scarier word than “cancer”.
Wit And Wisdom: She Was a Long Shot
April 21, 2026
It’s an amazing and mysterious process that brings us into contact with people who influence and affect our lives.
Kes: Leon Invented Carpe Diem
April 21, 2026
We grew up playing basketball, football, and baseball. We’d never heard of soccer or synchronized swimming. And golf was too expensive.
Wit and Wisdom: Prejudiced But Didn’t Know It; Part III
April 14, 2026
When Coach whistled us off the court, Eugene and I sat together on the bleachers – two outsiders having found common ground, sitting together as new-found friends.
Kes: Talk About Heaven On Earth
April 14, 2026
I think it was the green grass. And maybe the maple trees putting on their leaves in the front yard. The soft breezes were refreshing. And the longer days were fraught with possibilities. You could feel it in the crispy morning air. It was actually fun to wake up and meet this kind of day.
Letter: A Response to a Kes Story
April 14, 2026
I am submitting this response regarding an article written by Kes - “Be Careful Whose Snake You Are Picking Up” in a recent submission in The McKenzie Banner under his column “Hunker Down With Kes” in the February 24, 2026 issue.
Kes: Making Silk Purses Out Of Sows’ Ears
April 7, 2026
I go downtown at 8 a.m. to get Irene to cut my hair, and I can’t find a place to park.
Wit and Wisdom: Prejudiced But Didn’t Know It; Part II
April 7, 2026
Nodding, I held up my small bag containing tennis shoes, shorts and t-shirt.
Letter: Many Thanks...
April 7, 2026
Many thanks to everyone who helped to make the March 28th #NoKings rally in downtown McKenzie a success:
Kes: Not Exactly Hallmark Moments
March 31, 2026
Daddy was working on our washing machine. I crawled down under there to get a better look.
Wit and Wisdom: Prejudiced But Didn’t Know It
March 31, 2026
It’s easy to be deluded into thinking that you know yourself, especially at the age of fifteen.
