THE BEGINNING – Big Stone Gap, VA This is stage one of my journey through the time on this earth! It began when I was 18 months old in a small Southwest Virginia town – – –
GERMANY – I spent over two years in Germany while serving in the U.S. Army in the late ’50s. During that time I visited a number of European countries and cities.
TWENTY YEARS IN ERWIN, TN – Right before my marriage, I moved to Erwin, TN, about 70 miles from my VA hometown. I was employed as Chief Engineer of a radio station there.
THE MIGRATION TO FLORIDA – I left Erwin, TN to accept a “temporary” job in television in Cocoa, FL. That was over 30 years ago!
March 22nd, 2010 
danny 
With all the political shenanigans that we have experienced over the “National Health Plan” (ObamaCare) that resulted in “changes” that will eventually destroy our Nation as we know it, many people have lamented over what has happened. Comments like “we are going under” and “what can be done?” are heard every day. Well, there IS an answer: become active!
March 22nd, 2010 danny 
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Jim Brown – OneNewsNow – 3/20/2010
Some House Democrats are apparently selling their vote on healthcare reform for jobs at places like NASA — but they’re receiving a stern warning from one conservative senator about the ramifications of such behavior.
Human Events reports that retiring Congressman Bart Gordon (D-Tennessee) has been promised the job of NASA administrator in exchange for his vote — and that Representative John Tanner, another retiring Democrat, has been promised an appointment as a U.S. ambassador to NATO in exchange for his vote.
When at the White House recently, Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (D-Florida) also reportedly was seeking a special NASA deal in exchange for a “yes” vote on healthcare.
March 20th, 2010 danny
It’s not too far away to look at the 2010 Elections and the Presidential election of 2012 – SO, I have a few suggestions that I want to put forth:
(That spells VETO!)
March 14th, 2010 danny
(NOTE: Much of what I will be covering in this “Featured” area will be excerpts from my biography that can be found by clicking on the link (banner) in the header of this site.)
Here is where it all started – well, after my first year and a half in Salem/Roanoke, Virginia! We moved to the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia where my dad found employment near the end of the “Great Depression”. I had two brothers and one beautiful sister.
Big Stone Gap, VA is a small town of around 6,000 residents in the mountainous southwest area of the Commonwealth, near Bristol. It was a great place to grow up; kinda “sleepy”, but with a very low crime rate and everyone knew everyone else! We were pretty much secluded; NOT backward, just sheltered from many of the undesirable traits found elsewhere. It was first a “bedroom community” for the “officials” working for the mines and the railroad.
Although small, we had many people from the area who reached fame and prominence; US Senator, writers and folklorists, even a Governor. Actor George C. Scott was from a community just 20 miles away. Y. A Tittle, NFL football player of the ‘60s, 30 miles. Francis Gary Powers of “U-2 plane crash in Russia” fame was from the area. And I am from there!
Many of my classmates have doctorates; one was a Superintendent of Schools in the Washington, DC, area, and yet another close friend is Professor Emeritus of Law from a University in Richmond, VA, and she is regularly invited to teach at several universities in Europe, including Ireland and Germany. I barely made it out of high school!
We did have quality education in our (County) school system. Many of our teachers came to us from other states so we did get a flavor about “the outside world”! And, the curricula was well-rounded; no holds barred!
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Because of its small size many of the young people are forced to leave the area searching for employment. Less than 20% of the people raised there remained there. But, another 10-15%, after somewhat satisfying careers elsewhere, migrate “back to the Gap” for their retirement years. That substantiates the phrase: “you can take the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy”!
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I was fortunate to have “found Christ” at a very young age while a member of the Episcopal Church there. That formed the foundation of my “spiritual life” that was to be further enhanced in later years.
Now, move on to Part Two – Germany
