Here Comes the Sun...December 1, 2001

"Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it's all right." Who hasn't listened to those words over the past forty-eight hours? George Harrison, the spiritual nucleus of the Beatles, penned those words in 1969 and they were released on the album Abbey Road in September of that year just as my littermates and I embarked on our senior year at Newport High School. It became and still is my favorite Beatles tune. Two days ago George Harrison passed from this life at the age of 58. An icon of the remembrance of youth has become just that - a memory. However, George Harrison's face will make regular appearances in my mind as his music lives on.

A year after I first heard "Here Comes the Sun" I entered the University of Arkansas with intentions of pursuing architecture as a career. Along with the basic freshman courses, I took an architecture lecture course taught by James Lambeth. It was an 8 o'clock a.m. class jammed with two hundred plus students, so it was easy to not be missed should you oversleep. I never missed that class. I remember being greeted at each lecture with the music and words of "Here Comes the Sun" and my day was made with a happy feeling. By this time the Beatles were no more. That fall of 1970 George Harrison released his solo album All Things Must Pass including the song with the same title. "All Things Must Pass" concluded with these words:

Now the darkness only stays the night time

In the morning it will fade away

Daylight is good at arriving at the right time

It's not always going to be this gray

All things must pass

All things must pass away

Just what has passed? Once we were removed from the carefree environment of high school, and in particular Newport High School, life took on new challenges and new relationships accompanied by a certain level of excitement tempered with fear - fear of the unknown. Each Greyhound who has raced away from Remmel Park has left his/her paw prints in various places and on various hearts during the days that have passed away since then. Some relationships are long lasting, some fleeting. Those long lasting relationships can endure separation over extended periods of time or great distances. The endurance factor is determined by the heart and is labeled by the code word "friendship." When the separation gets to be more than the heart can endure, determined "friendship" pursues a path to ease the heart and cure the separation. Let me provide a witness.

Three weeks ago Mr. Red Nelson called me to join him and his wife for lunch and telling me that a few "old" Hounds were coming into Arkadelphia to see him. Mr. Nelson was the football coach at Newport from 1949 to 1951. He left Newport to establish Southwest Sporting Goods in Arkadelphia fifty years ago and he has been a good friend of mine over the past decade. Well, on the appointed day I walked the block from the bank to Southwest Sporting Goods to visit Mr. Nelson and found his guests to be Joe McDonald, Claude A. Foushee, Donald Ray, and John Minor. These "Dogs of Yore" had made their way through time and distance to reminisce about Greyhound feats from fifty years back and to pay homage to their coach. And did they reminisce! What fun it was for me to sit and listen to the stories of teenagers I have only known as men of the generation before mine. For hours they recalled plays from game after game as well as the antics of fellow players like Harrison Bennett, Ferrell Broadaway, Jim Spencer and Boyce Holt. I was moved by their obvious affection and respect for their former coach even though fifty years had separated their good times together. I am certain paw prints were left on the heart of Red Nelson that day. My deep appreciation is extended to all of them for including me in their day of recollection. Let this visit serve as an example of enduring friendship.

I enjoyed a similar experience of my own the weekend following the gathering of "old" Hounds when I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee for a "surprise" 50th birthday celebration for one of my closest friends from college, Keith Croft. Just as my littermates in the NHS Class of 1970 will be reaching that mark of 50 over the course of the current school year, so too will many friends we have come to know following our high school years. I joined college friends Don Barnett, Johnny Gregory, Kenny Brewer, Philip Jackson, and Martha Hatley Saino in surprising Keith on his 50th as his gift from his wife, Traci. Life after high school - fun and frolic! Like college freshmen we did act arriving in Nashville at 6:30 p.m. on Friday evening and retiring to the pillows at 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning only to arise a short five hours later for a day on the Nashville honky-tonk scene. Four of these friends are musicians and Friday night was met with four guitars, six voices (off key was me), whiskey and beer. Exaggerated stories were the main menu items for remembering the past. Two of these old crazies I had not seen in over twenty years. Martha brought forth several old scrapbooks to assist our memories. In the early seventies we attended a lot of concerts and her scrapbooks included ticket stubs to many performances we had seen together including the likes of the Rolling Stones, Yes, Marshall Tucker Band, Aerosmith, the Eagles, David Bowie, Mott the Hoople, Pure Prairie League and even George Harrison. The ticket prices averaged around $5 for these early '70s concerts. Some of these groups are still on tour, but ticket prices approach $50 and more. Wow!

Here comes the sun. Here comes another day. Life after high school has not been all fun and frolic. All things must pass. Recently littermate Michael Willhite's father passed away. Michael asked that I let you all know how much he has appreciated the calls and letters of love he has received from his classmates. And then this past weekend the unthinkable occurred. Littermate Danny Cordell lost two grandchildren in a tragic incident near Wasilla, Alaska where Danny and his wife, Margie, now live. Finding words to soften this pain will be impossible, but a long distance hug will surely leave paw prints on Danny's heart and those of his family members. Word was received yesterday from Grady Perryman, husband of littermate Mary Wynne Parker, that Mary Wynne had reassessment surgery on Wednesday to search for any recurrence of cancer. None was noted and all signs look good! Here comes the sun. Hold these classmates in loving thoughts and prayers as we reach across the separation of time and distance to one another each Sunday evening.

Life's path is crooked. Exciting. Fearful. Full of paw prints from the past. The heart will endure the time and the distance. The friendships will be remembered. George Harrison has joined "My Sweet Lord." The music will play on.

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces

Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,

And I say it's all right,

It's all right

I remain on life's path, crooked, exciting, fearful and Miles from Nowhere ...
joe