Author Archives: rogerbarbee

The freedom for college athletes to make money by sponsorship opportunities has begun. While that is an on-going active discussion concerning how being paid through an NIL will affect college sports, some folks are preparing for NIL’s seeping down to high school or even lower athletic programs. One of those folks who is getting preparedContinue reading ““Name, Image, Likeness””

In my recent re-reading of Ordinary Men, Christopher R. Browning’s study of the Nazi’s final solution in Poland, I read a reference to T. W. Adorno and his work after WW II with colleagues in Germany. Browning’s book is a close examination of ordinary men mostly from Hamburg who were drafted into Reserve Police BattalionContinue reading “Our Teetering Democracy”

Two articles from last week’s reading resonate with me—one from a religious magazine written by a minister and the other in a major newspaper written by a columnist. The columnist writes about “feelings of hopelessness and self-hatred [that] can leave you to live with a smoldering rage.” He writes that the problem facing Washington, D.C.Continue reading “Hope”

As a life-long reader I was interested in a recent article in a major, national newspaper that focused on how nine contemporary authors arranged some of their bookshelves. I looked at the photographs and read some of the text. But I became disinterested because I had never even heard of any of the writers muchContinue reading “My Modest Library”

Some years ago I led a men’s Sunday School class in Woodstock, VA. When we were studying Job, a member of the class shared an experience he had had during the week. He was a supervisor for a company that performed maintenance on I-81, and his crew and he were working on exit ramps. TimContinue reading “A Better Way”

This morning Chris, the youngest son, called to tell me that his father had died earlier in the morning. His father and mother Jeannie were vacationing at Rehoboth Beach with other family members. Mr. Charles T. “Terry” Lindsay was 87 years old, the same age as Norman Maclean when he died. That is, if anyContinue reading “Terry Lindsay”

Some years ago the high school wrestling team I was part of wanted to honor our coach, Bob Mauldin. With the help of his wife Donna and our spouses, we planned a surprise tribute for him, and about 80 old wrestlers and spouses attended. It was a success, and our beloved Coach was surprised—at beingContinue reading “Danny’s Letter”

In the first round of the 1925 U.S. Open of golf, Bob Jones prepared to hit a wedge shot out of the 11th hole rough. He inadvertently touched his ball with the wedge, causing it to move slightly. He penalized himself one stroke. The officials could not verify that the ball had moved, so theyContinue reading “Congratulations for not Robbing Banks”

Being captive in any jail or prison must be awful and even worse if the confinement is in a foreign country. Visits from loved ones probably are rare, if not impossible, and the government under which you are being held may not be a “friend” of the United States. Your only contact with other AmericansContinue reading ”            Griner”

As my wife Mary Ann and  I watched the black mass move in from the northwest, we realized that the meteorologist had been correct: A large storm brewed in the eerie late afternoon quiet of a hot summer day. The black mass continued to roll over the land and the lake and soon its windContinue reading “Bows after the  Clouds”