Son of a Gun
October 5, 2009

      My column title for today was to be about Duplin General Hospital, but I had some personal health problems that kept me away from getting the follow up factual information I needed. I was told the hospital has millions of dollars in the bank. Don’t know for sure about that, but the source that told me was a good one.

     Another question I had, but did not have the time to research it. I am not really sure about who owns the hospital. I read where or thought I read where Duplin County gave or leased the hospital to someone and now that someone wants to buy the hospital. Why would someone who already has possession of the hospital want to buy it? Seems to me if it is in your possession you can do what ever you want to do with it. Of Course if you want to sell it or close it you might have own it, not just lease it, also if someone wants to add lots of improvements. These are just a few things I wanted to know so I could pass it on to you.

     One other thing, an important thing, is what is best for the people of Duplin County? This is a big question that needs answering and I don’t think a true answer can be given by anyone involved with the hospital at this time. History has shown that people who are involved with a thing tend to be unreliable as a source of true information on subjects they have a vested interest in.

     As for me, I have been treated in Duplin General Hospital several times and have no complaints. I do believe it is an asset to the county.

     Football is off and busting its way into conservations all over. I don’t think I ever told you about my high school football career. I am not sure it was all during high school, but it was during my schooling in Duplin County.

     I was one of those guys who read the Charles Atlas advertisements on the back page of “funny books” (Comic Books). I was one of those wishing they had the money to order one of the programs that would cause you to grow big muscles, because I was the 90 pound weakling. No one kicked sand in my face because I never went to the beach, so they never got the chance to. I did go to White Lake once in a while, but there were no sandy beaches there.

     I wanted to play football at school, but I had to go home each day on the school bus so I could work on the farm. My parents did not have a vehicle to drive me back and forth to practice and games.

     The coach gave me a bunch of papers with plays drawn out on them. When I got home from school I had to get my school homework up first then work on the farm. Therefore, I had little time to learn the football plays and in fact did not learn them. My desired position on the ball team was linebacker and thus I did not need to know the plays very well. It was my job to tackle the guy with the ball. When my teem had the ball the coach put in a big guy, so I was left out of the defense part of the game. Fact of the matter is I spent most of the time sitting on the bench, watching the other guys playing football.

     One day several players got hurt during the game or did not show up or something, but as the ball game was ending the coach desperately needed someone to play a guard on the line and do some blocking. He frantically looked around at the players he had to choose from and there just were none but Joe. He shook his head and motioned me. I reached down and grabbed my helmet and ran on to the field. The coach put his arm around my shoulder, pushing me on to the field as he said “get in there and play that guard position for me”.

     Well I tell you I was excited and confused because I did not know what to do. I did not even know where the guard position was. I was asking the other players near me where I was suppose to stand and they were yelling put your helmet on. I was still holding the helmet in my hand. I put the helmet on my head and could not see anything. I had put the helmet on backwards. I was now trying to push it up so I could see what was going on and fasten the neck strap. This was all happening in just a few short minutes. The guy beside me was telling me I had my helmet on backwards. There I stood a 90 pounds of football player not knowing where I was suppose to be standing and had my helmet on backwards. This is the kind of a guy every coach wants on his teem. The coach called a time out and got me out of there. I told him I could see ok with the helmet on backwards. He told me to take that helmet off and set on that bench. I went into the club house and took my uniform off and never went back.

     I did however play football during recess and lunch. This kind of football caused my mom to fuss at me. Playing in your clothing caused tearing and grass stain. My folks could not afford new clothing so they were sewed and patched, but I did not have to wear a helmet. SOG

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