Robert Pryor, Sr.

Don’t try to tell me there’s no Santa Claus.  I met him once years ago, when he actually came to my house and brought candy for me and my neighborhood friends.  Howard and David Dickens were there, and so were the Seals boys, Larry and…

As our new coach, Jeremy Pruitt, jumps into his first season as head coach of the Tennessee Vols, Big Orange fans everywhere wish him the best. His work is really cut out for him because the schedule is tough and he is the fifth Vol coach…

The early morning haze and sepia tones created by the early arrival of fall made it difficult to make out the two figures who walked through a hemlock forest along the rails of the Southern Railway.  Closer inspection revealed a strange…

I just made my annual purchase of Golf and Golf Digest magazines. Every spring, I buy golfing magazines to look at the latest golf clubs and equipment. This is the time of year to dream about the great golfer I should have been. The…

We hear a lot these days about our constitutional rights. We like to talk about the right to bear arms ensconced in the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and the right to enjoy freedom of speech and freedom of the press established in…

Knoxville’s big crime story of the early 1970’s involved the double murder of Patricia Sotka and her daughter, Donna. The victims’ bodies surfaced in Fort Loudoun Lake on July 1, 1970, wrapped in bed clothing and plastic shower curtains and…

I have noticed that people love lists. They especially love lists about what others think are the very “best.” “The Best 25 Places to Retire,” or “The Top Ten Places to Hide From the Police,” for example. I recently read an article…

This time of year, my thoughts turn to that uniquely American and profoundly southern institution of football. As high school and college teams begin their seasons, I am reminded of my illustrious football career. Some of you may recall how…

A few years ago, my wife, Norma, underwent total knee replacement surgery, and that’s when my intimate relationship with grocery stores really started.  Today, I still do much of the grocery shopping and have actually enjoyed planning meals…

An eight-year study of death rate data by researchers at Johns Hopkins recently concluded that medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in the U. S. That’s right, mistakes by doctors, nurses, hospitals, and other health care…