It's Not About Me

had died) but never got a satisfactory answer as to his whereabouts. Years later, I even spoke with our classmates at our 50 th High School Reunion and no one had any recollection of ever hearing from him. He simply disappeared into oblivion … so sad. While a couple of classmates have claimed to talk to him by phone; none to my knowledge have ever seen him since our college days!

More Doctors …my orthodontist, Dr. Doyle J. Smith If having more operations were not enough, I had to go to an orthodontist for braces on my teeth as well. I did this from about 2 nd grade through my freshman year in college. Dr. Doyle J. Smith was my orthodontist; he was a very nice man. He began his career as a shoe salesman at a retail shoe store in Memphis and worked his way through dental school as I recall. He was a very good doctor and had a very successful practice on Madison Avenue in Memphis. I even recall him posing in a picture with the famous entertainer, Eddie Cantor. For those who do not know who Eddie Cantor was…here is a YouTube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxVy2YtT7xU&index=6&list=PLRU6OJkqWohG_3DR3VTUM2Or4bTRKXuUw Dr. Smith usually charged $25/visit (once a month); I recall my father getting a special rate of $15. When I went away to college, Dr. Smith referred me to a dentist in Knoxville to have a partial plate made. However, having done this, the partial never really fit correctly. When I told Dr. Smith of this, he had impressions made himself and had a new partial created for me… and he gave it to me at NO CHA RGE! You would not find a kinder man … unfortunately, he was apparently mugged outside of his office in 1972 and died several weeks later at age 58 from the incident. Memphis has not changed much since then as we are one of the leading cities for homicides in America!

Segregation in the South

My unique experience growing up in the South in a segregated society was recently published (September 2020) in Storyboard Memphis . This article is reprinted below in its entirety. Considering all the racial strife we must deal with today in the news media, it is refreshing to reflect on a story that is more true-to-life.

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