Remembering Mississippi: A Place That Never Leaves You

I haven’t lived in Mississippi since 1987. That’s pushing forty years now—four decades since I packed up my life, left the Magnolia State, and planted myself in south-central Kentucky, mostly Bowling Green, where I’ve been ever since 1988. But every now and then, something stirs the dust of those old memories, and suddenly Mississippi doesn’t feel far away at all. It feels like yesterday. What brought it all flooding back this time was the news about Lane Kiffin. The Ole Miss football coach decided to bail on the Rebels and head to LSU for a whole lot more money. The move left the players hanging, the administration scrambling, and the fans and alumni feeling sucker-punched. And as a proud Ole Miss alum myself, it bothered me too. You don’t abandon the people who poured their hearts into you—not without leaving a bruise. I ended up talking with a former fraternity brother of mine, Dr. Donald Simmons, who now lives in Tupelo. He’s a chaplain down there, still connected to the heartbeat of Mississippi. We reminisced about the old days, and that simple conversation unlocked a whole room full of memories—college days, journalism classes, long nights at the Daily Mississippian, and the people who shaped my young life. Mississippi may be poor in dollars, but it’s rich in soul. Oxford, Ole Miss, and the Spirit That Lingers Oxford was where I became who I was going to be. I studied journalism at Ole Miss, worked at the campus newspaper, and walked the same streets that so many storytellers had walked before me. It was also where I met my wife, Patty—a meeting that would define the rest of my life. Funny how a single place can carry so many beginnings. There’s something about being a freshman at Ole Miss—the buzz on the Square, the Grove on a Saturday, the faces you meet who somehow stay with you long after you leave. The Ole Miss spirit doesn’t fade. You carry it with you. It becomes a part of how you talk, how you laugh, how you remember. Willie Morris and the Writers’ Bench One of the brightest memories from those years was Willie Morris, the late writer-in-residence at the university. Most folks know him for My Dog Skip, but to us journalism and English students, he was something more—our literary uncle, our storyteller-in-chief. Willie was a Southern writer who had lived big in New York City—editor of Harper’s Magazine, Rhodes Scholar, a man who knew both the Delta and Manhattan. And somehow he made Oxford his home. I was one of his groupies. A lot of us were. We’d sit with him at the Hoka, sipping coffee that may or may not have been strengthened with a little bourbon. We’d follow him over to The Gin, drinking White Russians while he talked about life, writing, and Mississippi. Sometimes we’d wind up in his house on Faculty Row—No. 16, if memory hasn’t tricked me—where he’d read to us or listen to whatever half-finished stories we were working on. Those nights had a magic of their own. Dr. Simmons was the one who first introduced me to Willie. I still have several of Willie’s books, all autographed, plus some letters we exchanged through the years. He was generous that way—generous with his time, his words, and his whiskey.

Family Roots in Mississippi Mississippi is also where our son Tony was born, in Pontotoc. Hard to believe he’s 38 now and living his own life up in New Jersey. Funny how something as simple as thinking about Oxford can make the years feel like a stack of old photographs sitting in your lap. And speaking of people from those days, I’m looking forward to reading The Dean by Sparky Reardon, one of our former deans at Ole Miss. Sparky is retired now, but he was a legend when I was there. My stepdaughter, Misty Hale from Taylor, asked what I wanted for Christmas, and I told her plain and simple—an autographed copy of Sparky’s book. That’ll bring back even more memories, I’m sure. Time Moves On, But Mississippi Holds Tight I may have built my life in Kentucky, raised kids, worked different jobs, and grown older, but Mississippi still lives quietly in me. Those eleven years—from 1976 to 1987—were long enough to shape a lifetime. They were good years. Formative years. Years full of friendship, learning, heartbreak, joy, and the unmistakable Southern charm that only Mississippi can produce. Lane Kiffin leaving might sting for a while. Folks in Mississippi have a way of taking loyalty seriously. But coaches come and go. Players come and go. What stays is the spirit—the memories, the people you met, the stories you lived, and the feeling you carry long after you leave Oxford. And even after nearly forty years away, Mississippi still knows my name.

The Immaculate Deflection — Egg Bowl 1983 (The Day the Wind Became a Rebel)

Some football moments feel scripted by ESPN. Others feel scripted by God Himself. And then there’s the 1983 Egg Bowl, which felt like it was scripted by a mischievous Ole Miss ghost with a sense of humor — a moment now immortalized as The Immaculate Deflection. Back then, I was on campus at Ole Miss, up in my Sigma Pi fraternity room, listening to the game on my radio — the kind that crackled like bacon grease anytime the announcer took a deep breath. Honestly, the place was practically empty. Maybe one or two other guys were around, but it was basically just me, the radio, and the sound of my own heartbeat. Mississippi State lined up for the game-winning field goal. Easy. Routine. Practically a formality. The announcer got quiet. I leaned closer to the radio like I was trying to hear a whisper from heaven. The ball went up… …and then the wind decided Ole Miss deserved better. That Mississippi breeze reached out like an invisible Rebel hand and pushed the ball away from the uprights like it had someplace else to be. Just like that — the kick missed, Ole Miss won, and I almost knocked my chair over in that empty frat room celebrating by myself. That miraculous gust sent the Rebels to the 1983 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana to go against Air Force — and my dad, my brother-in-law, and I packed up and headed down there to see it in person. Now, let me tell you something: Mother Nature did not go easy on us that night. It rained so hard it felt like we were sitting inside a car wash. We had plastic sheets draped over us, trying to keep at least a few drops of rain out of our beers — but the rainwater kept winning. By halftime, our beer had turned into a sort of “Shreveport Light.” We watched as Air Force grounded us 9–3 in a cold, soggy slog where the ball probably gained more yards from slipping out of players’ hands than from actual plays. Meanwhile, my dad — bless his short, easily-frustrated stature — kept hollering “DOWN IN FRONT! DOWN IN FRONT!” every time someone taller stood up. Which, of course, was everyone. I’m pretty sure he spent more time yelling at people’s backs than watching the game. Still, soaked to the bone and losing or not, it was a trip I’ll never forget. The miracle in Jackson, the monsoon in Shreveport — it all blends together into one of my favorite Rebel memories. 1983 will always be the year: the wind blew left, a miracle was born, and Ole Miss blew our minds. The Immaculate Deflection. A Rebel legend — with a punchline only football can deliver.

My Indoctrination To The Ole Miss (Oxford, Miss) Preppy Scene In The Early 80's

 
There's been a lot of controversy at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) lately over its history, culture, traditions and heritage at the famous Southern public college with a certain group on campus i.e. the progressive extreme leftist liberal socialists wanting to always do away with more of the school's symbols and representations of its controvrsial past.

Ole Miss is located about 80 miles south of Memphis and you could say it's basically in the heart of the Deep South. The university has been known as the Ole Miss Rebels for years but in the last 40 years or so, a lot of the school's symbols representing of who they are or they were have been slowly eroding away.
First, it was the Rebel flag in which the university quit allowing cheerleaders to wave during football games in the early 80's. Then the  Rebel flag was banned altogether and then years later they changed the mascot from Col. Reb to eventually a silly looking Landshark. Then the univeristy took away the Dixie song that the Ole Miss Pride of the South marching band used to play at all sporting events. Also, the progressive extreme liberal socialists on campus banned the Mississippi state flag because it has a smaller rebel flag inside of it and now the now they are trying to move a Confederate statue off campus.

Mainly, it's obviously that the university has been catering to the minority populations on campus for awhile now or so and now it appears the school has put the LGBTQ+  community in the forefront too. Also, the extreme leftist liberal socialist professors have been cramming their liberal garbage and poisonous knowledge down the throats of the students in their classes and it appears to be happening at colleges all across the country these days. But unfortunately, Ole Miss is caught in the crosshairs of its past, present and future where the progressive extreme liberal socialists on campus are trying to whitewash the university's Southern history, traditions and heritage. However, since I was student there in the early 80's five years from 1982-1987, I was indoctrinated in the Ole Miss fraternity and "Preppy" scene early on. Our preppy history and culture should be honored and preserved too. The way we dressed and acted back in those days on campus, downtown Oxford or even on Bourbon Street, was who we were. We were Ole Miss. Being preppy was so much of the Ole Miss culture back then. And now it’s our history and a big part of the traditions and heritage of Ole Miss whether the school recognizes it or not. Our university cannot deny this fact and this history should not be excluded or failed to be recognized by the school either. It is just as much a part of the university’s history as African American or LGBTQ+ culture in my opinion. The Ole Miss preppy culture should be recognized and remembered by the university. Or even honored perhaps.

I remember one of my first overnight visits to the Ole Miss campus when I was a junior in high school in 1980, two of my classmates from Hernando, Miss., where roommates together. They had invited me down to spend a weekend with them in their dorm room.  We went to go see the cult classic hit movie, "Caddyshack" at the old Ritz theater in downtown Oxford.  The theater was filled with a bunch of older Ole Miss frat boys wearing khaki pants and white and blue button down shirts with penny loafers on.  Practically, during every scene of the movie, the theater was filled with roaring laughter.  This was when in my mind, I had been indoctrinated in to the Ole Miss preppy scene and I was determined after I graduated from high school that I was going to attend Ole Miss.  Being a part of that scene was one reason that I wanted to attend Ole Miss.  But there were others reasons too of course. My Hernando classmates said that National Lampoon's "Animal House," another classic cut movie starring John Belushi had been a big hit at the Ritz too and in college towns across the America a year or two earlier.


I found this YouTube video (right) of an interview with Lisa Birnbach, the author of “The Official Preppy Handbook” who visited Ole Miss in the early 80’s and she had written about our awesome college in her book. I think a lot of us who attended Ole Miss in the 70’s and 80’s were preppies and most of us still are at heart.  And most of us remember hanging out at "The Warehouse," and "The Gin,"  a couple of local bars, on Friday afternoons and nights with our frat brothers or sorority sisters and fellow preppies with standing room only where the beer and mixed drinks seemed to flow like water. Those were the days.

Never Underestimate The Power of MOMGA

Never underestimate the power of "MOMGA," or "Making Ole Miss Great Again" Whether you believe it or not, we are an incredibly strong voice in the process of rebuilding Ole Miss (The University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss.) to the awesome university that it deserves to be in order to preserve its traditions and heritage. Currently, we are fighting a tough battle against the liberal, radical leftists one battle after another whether it be Col. Reb, the Confederate statue or the Dixie song among other things. And now we are fighting dearly for

Me in the Summer of 1986 in Oxford

our new Ole Miss Chancellor, Dr. Boyce. It almost reminds of me of the Civil War and the scars that Ole Miss endured during that era. Our journey into this war all began for us from out of nowhere last fall when the "Dr. Meek and the Ole Miss Journalism School debacle" exploded on social media which created a firestorm locally, statewide and nationally getting our attention and it brought

Me in Fall of 1986 at Ole Miss

thousands of us long lost alumni back together into the fold. So here's the thing. You and I are part of history. We all have made an impact on Ole Miss and the Ole Miss community already for the better in this Facebook group in order to get our university, our beloved alma matter of Ole Miss back on track. I feel we are setting an example for other alumni and other universities across the nation in order for them to win back their universities too from the liberal, radical leftist professors, administrators and students at their institutions of higher learning. Never give up the good fight. The war will be won by us against the liberal, radical leftist at Ole Miss who are trying to destroy our beloved university. Go Rebels and Hotty Toddy!

Note: If you are an Ole Miss alumni, friend, supporter, fan, student, staff, retired staff or even an administrator or professor, please join us the MOMGA movement on Facebook.  Please do a Facebook search in the search bar for "Make Ole Miss Great Again." And please join us and help us fight against the liberal, leftist radicals who are trying to destroy Ole Miss! We would love to have you on our side!

Ole Miss Lives On Forever

Ole Miss is a place. It’s a place that lives on in our hearts and minds whether we are 18 years-old or 94 years-old. It does not matter if you live in Nantucket, Mass., or Bowling Green, Ky., some of us attended school there and some of us did not. Nevertheless, Ole Miss is the place that you see in your mind when you close your eyes and meditate upon her. When I shut my eyes, I can see myself standing in The Grove or The Circle looking at the front of The Lyceum at a moment’s notice. I can still hear the Ole Miss choir standing on the staircase of The Lyceum during my freshman year back in December of 1982 singing Christmas carols to the administration and staff on the last day of school before the holiday break or in Fulton Chapel singing the Ole Miss Mater Song during an Award ceremony in the early Spring. No, we could never be mad at Ole Miss for what she stands for and what she means to us. She lives on forever and our love for will never end.  No one can ever kill our love for her or take away our memories. We will all die one day but she will live on forever creating new memories in the hearts and minds of new students and people from other places from far away and in-between. Hotty Toddy!

College Town At Christmas, 2018: Looking Back At My 30 Years Of Living In Bowling Green, Ky.

    I remember years ago when I first moved to Kentucky in 1987, I used to get homesick for down South.  I missed my native city of Memphis, Tenn., and North Mississippi, the place where I spent my teenage years.  I used to miss my friends and family also.

    It's also where graduated from high school and went to college.  I was a Southern Boy and I am still am.  But things have changed tremendously back home.  To be honest, I can't keep up with it hardly anymore.  It's all becoming a blur now it seems.  Our memories do seem to slip as we get older they say.

   

Patty and I before a Christmas party in 1992

However, by fate, I met a lady through the Roman Catholic Church in Oxford, Miss., while I was college student at the time at the University of Mississippi, (Ole Miss) in the 80's. And then after we where married and our son was born, we eventually ended up in Bowling Green, Ky., home of Western Kentucky University.  WKU is where my wife went to college back in the 70's when she lived in her hometown of Russellville, Ky., which is 30 miles west of Bowling Green.  She said she had always loved Bowling Green and thought it would be a nice to live one day and to raise a family.  And indeed, Bowling Green or "BG" as it is affectionally known to us and its loyal citizens, has a been a great place for us to live, work and raise our son for these last 30 years.  Our son, Galen Jr. or "Tony" as he affectionally known to us and all of his family and friends, is a graduate of WKU and now lives and works in Nashville, which is 60 miles south of Bowling Green.

Our little family, 1988. Patty, Tony, Santa and me.

During this Christmas season, I have been reflecting a lot on my life and my life of living in Bowling Green all these years.  No, I have not made a big impact on the city by running for political office and serving as a leader making important decisions that ultimately effect its citizens or businesses in one form or fashion.  Nor have I been a major player in the Bowling Green business community making tons of money by managing a factory, a store or being a private business owner along with being a member of the local chamber of commerce.  Nor I have I been a professional such as a doctor, lawyer, a counselor and priest or a pastor by having a direct impact on its citizens and families on a personal level.  However, I have been a productive citizen, a homeowner and a taxpayer and staying out of trouble for the most part all these last 30 years of living here.  Yeah, I have ruffled a few feathers here and there regarding some of my strong letters to the editor in our local newspaper or stating my assertive opinions on the local morning AM talk radio program in the past.  But for the most part, I've had a good run in Bowling Green and I hope to have another 30 years! Being a writer, an observer of life and a sales and service professional all these years, I have met many fine people in this city and from the surrounding towns and counties alike.  Like everywhere else in the world, there's a story on every corner in Bowling Green and Southcentral Kentucky. I have found this to be extremely true.  And I don't have to look very far either.  There's a lot of interesting people who live here. I have always been like a sponge through the years, absorbing everything I can about its people, its places and its culture.  It's only natural for me to be curious and to ask questions regarding people and their lives. And it's also the way that I was trained in journalism school while I was at Ole Miss.  Basically,  to ask questions and write stories along with taking pictures. ( I like making short videos these days too).

Me, Jude, our Australian Shepherd, and Patty with Santa in 2016

    So as I reflect back on my past Christmases of living here, BG has been very good to me and my little family.  For the most part, it is a safe place to live because we have an excellent police force as well as a great county sheriff's department and a wonderful Kentucky State Police force.  Also, the WKU police force is great too. Although, we are not natives to this town, BG has been accepting of us and thousands of others who come from all over the United States and from around the world.  We have a large Bosnian community and a growing Burmese and Congo African community too.  And like most places in the South, we have a large Hispanic community too.  WKU brings in students from all over Kentucky, the South, and other parts of the US.  And the university has its fair share of international students too.  So I feel very fortunate and blessed to live in Bowling Green.  God has been good to me all these years and I have received many special blessings by living here.  We have a wonderful church which is Holy Spirit Catholic Church and I have fairly good health, a good job, a good home, a good neighborhood and most importantly, a wonderful wife and son.  So if you live in Bowling Green, be thankful this Christmas season and for what this city does for us, its citizens.  We have good streets and roads and excellent schools.  We also have a good medical community too. 

      Mainly, we are a very blessed community especially during Christmastime.  Go outside and feel the Christmas spirit in the air.  And drive downtown, and see the Christmas lights on the square or eat at one our many fine restaurants.  Eat, drink and be merry! Be cheerful and jolly also! (But don't drink and drive. Get a Uber. Or the BGPD will get you!)  Yes, we are very blessed this Christmas season in Bowling Green and I thank God for that.  Merry Christmas and God Bless!

  

About The New Willie Morris Biography: "Willie: The Life of Willie Morris By Teresa Nicholas"

"I received from Amazon, the new biography of Willie Morris, the late Mississippi author and our former writer-in-residence at Ole Miss while I was in college there from 82-87. I am looking forward to reading it and I'll probably write a review for my blog regarding the book. I realize after being away from Ole Miss (even though I have returned many times for visits) and Oxford, Miss., for almost 30 years now that I was just simply a fan like a lot of admirers were back then. And sometimes fans go out of their way to do unusual things to try to obtain the admiration of their favorite celebrity, author, sports figure or musicians. Some are not so gracious but Willie was gracious and personable. He remembered your name and treated you like a friend."-Galen A. Smith Sr.

Tennis Courts in Oxford, Miss., Named After Late Ole Miss Writer-In-Residence and Writing Teacher, Barry Hannah

     I was reminded recently of the late writer-in-residence and writing teacher, Barry Hannah at Ole Miss where I attended college for five years in the early 80's by an article that was written by Oxford, Miss., writer, Jim Dees, called "Was There A Golden Age" in Oxford?"http://oxfordcitizen.com/2015/04/10/was-there-a-golden-age-in-oxford/. Also, because of the fact that the City of Oxford had named some tennis courts in a local park after him that made national news earlier this month. http://oxfordcitizen.com/2015/04/13/avent-tennis-courts-named-for-barry-hannah/

Photo Taken By Galen A. Smith Sr.
Ole Miss, 1986

      I remember learning about Mr. Hannah being at Ole Miss when I saw some of his posters for some books he had written posted around campus.  To me, it seemed he just appeared out of nowhere.  Little did I know that Mr. Hannah had accepted a position with the university teaching writing courses in the English department on campus and also became our writer-in-residence.  Also, he already had several books published, won awards and had taught at other universities. Eventually, I think most students and Oxford citizens realize that we now had another pretty well-known and respected writer in the vicinity besides our other well known writer-in-residence, another Mississippi writer, Willie Morris. Barry and Willie were basically two different types of writers. Mr. Hannah, fiction, and Willie, non-fiction. Although, I am sure that they hung out at night together some with the same people in the same circle of friends at the former Hoka, the famous little bohemian coffee shop and theater in the small university town.  And I'm sure some of his quick new friends when he arrived in town were probably of course, Willie, and Ron Shapiro, who owned the Hoka, and Jim Dees who worked there.

"Week Of Initiation," One of the Short-Stories
that I wrote for Mr. Hannah's course.  I was
proud of the comments he gave me on it.

      Eventually, I took Mr. Hannah's fiction writing course and got an "A" in it.  I think one of the things he liked about me as a writer is that I took chances by writing such short stories like an expose piece about a fraternity initiation that was loosely based on truth.  It was foul-mouth and dirty.  But he liked it.  In the Summer of 1986, I was the Entertainment Editor of  Ole Miss' student newspaper, "The Daily Mississippian."  Mr. Hannah allowed me to come to his home and interview him for the student newspaper.

 

Written By Galen A. Smith Sr.
Published June 19, 1986
"The Daily Mississippian"

    While I was in Mr. Hannah's class, I met another young writer and Ole Miss student by the name of  Katie Powell from Bowling Green, Ky., who would eventually become his daughter-in-law.  Mr. Hannah's son, Barry Jr., was also a student at Ole Miss at the time and I had several classes with him.  I would also see Katie at the Hoka where she worked some serving cheesecake and coffee.  Eventually, I had moved to Bowling Green after I married a Kentucky lady down in Oxford who was also from the Bowling Green area and we eventually settled there in 1988 after we had married in 1986.  That same year in 1988, I saw Katie again at a local Italian restaurant in downtown Bowling Green where she was serving and invited me to her wedding to Barry Jr.  The wedding was at the historical St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bowling Green with a reception at the Bowling Green Country Club.  At the reception, I saw Mr. Hannah again and I think he was really surprised to see me and probably wondering how in the hell I got there!  I don't think he understood the connection at the time.

     Eventually as time went by, I lost touch with Ole Miss and Oxford and the local writer's scene with the Hoka and the famous, little, independent book store, "Square Books" where they had a lot of book signings and readings for authors from all over the country and world.  By the time 1994 had arrived, it seemed Oxford was in the national spotlight all the time because of legal thriller writer and Oxford resident John Grisham's major success.  So I decided to attend the "Second Annual Oxford Conference For The Book" in 1994 that was taken place on campus at Fulton Chapel with a reception following in the library.  Superstar horror writer, Stephen King was there along with John Grisham and Mr. Hannah was moderating.  Before the session began, I saw Mr. Hannah sitting down on a wall on the side of the building smoking a cigarette and I decided to walk around and talk to him.  Obviously, Mr. Hannah was trying to enjoy his cigarette and I started to ask questions about getting published and he got really irritated with me so I decided to back off and leave.  However, I did get to shake Mr. King's hand after the session was over with.  However,  Mr. Grisham was standoffish and apparently didn't want to be bothered either with the public.  Apparently, fame and being the center of attention was closing in on him.

    Regardless, I held no grudge against Mr. Hannah.  I am the one who invaded his space and privacy that day.  However, I am extremely happy for Mr. Hannah and his family and grandchildren for being remembered and honored by the City of Oxford and by naming the tennis courts after him since he loved the game of tennis as well as writing and teaching. Mainly, he was an excellent teacher of fiction writing in my opinion and I really enjoyed taking his class.  His class was one of the best in my five years at Ole Miss!

     

Chancellor Dr. Dan Jones Is The Best Man For The Job At Ole Miss

"I have been thinking about the firing of Chancellor Dan Jones at Ole Miss recently. Yes, none of us probably like the new Black Bear mascot that replaced Colonel Reb or whatever Dr. Jones else has done to remove symbols of the old South or the ugly past of stale old racism at the university. However, for those who spent four or five years of our young lives at the university that helped mold us on who we are today to live in this modern high-tech and volatile world, I think deep down inside, we want what's best for Ole Miss and we want to see her keep moving forward to continue to be a world-class institution of higher learning no matter what a person's skin color, religion or sexual orientation is. So with that being said, it appears to me that Dr. Jones is the best man for the job from his past performance."-Galen A Smith Sr

The Devil Made Him Do It? Pastor Exposes Himself To 15 year-old Girl

     This recent particular Bowling Green (Ky) Daily News police story posted below reminds me of the time when I was a senior at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in Oxford, Miss., in the Spring of 1987 and I was working at the JD Williams Library as a student worker in the Acquisitions Department for a locally known gay man. But I wasn't gay, I was married and I still am heterosexual and married after 28 years. However, I was getting ready to walk out of the lobby of the building to go to lunch when a female student comes running down the stairs of "The Stacks" (upper level floors with shelves and shelves of books) as it was known, screaming bloody murder.  As it turns out, the sexual pervert was an older man from a surrounding town, who exposed himself to the student on the 4th level.  He ran downstairs and then ran out the front door as fast as he could.  I commence to chase him out onto the front lawn and down through the business school and on out in front of Kincannon Hall, about a 1/4 mile away.  During the chase, several other Ole Miss male students started chasing him also.  Finally, the man stopped because he realized he was out numbered.  Soon after, the UPD, (University Police Department) showed up and placed him under arrest.  The next day, I was quoted in our student newspaper, (The Daily Mississippian) about the incident.

JD Williams Library

     But the recent exposing incident that happened in Russellville, Ky., a small town, 30 miles of west of  Bowling Green, strikes me as being odd for a couple of different reasons.  For one thing, he was a pastor for God's sake! Don't tell me, the Devil made him do it, right?  Also, didn't he realize that the department store had cameras everywhere?  And the pastor had his seven year-old son with him that day. What a dumb ass!  But he was mainly a dumb ass for what he did in the first place.  This guy needs to get on his knees and repent while begging for forgiveness.  Then he needs to seek some serious counseling for his sick perversion.  If you're going to be a pastor in the public eye even if it is in a small town, you better walk the walk right especially if you're going to talk the talk.

Pastor charged with indecent exposure

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Posted: Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:42 am

By the Daily News | 0 comments

Russellville, Ky.

A Russellville pastor is charged with indecent exposure after a woman reported that a man exposed himself to her juvenile daughter while the two were shopping in Burke’s Outlet on Feb. 13.

The girl told police that the man had a small child with him and possibly left the area in a van, according to a release from Russellville police.

Pastor Kevin Lohse

Police obtained video surveillance from the store and posted a still image from the video to the department’s Facebook page. The photos quickly resulted in more than 600 shares and led to the accused perpetrator turning himself in to police, according to the release.

Kevin Lohse, acting pastor at Woodlawn Baptist Church, admitted to investigators that he was the man in the video and that he had his 7-year-old son with him that day.

Lohse can be seen on the video manipulating his zipper to expose himself to the juvenile, who was shopping in the juniors’ section of the store, according to the release.

Police charged Lohse on Wednesday with indecent exposure. He was in the Logan County Detention Center and posted a $2,500 bond.

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Posted in Police news on Thursday, February 27, 2014 10:42 am.

I Remember North Mississippi's Wall Doxey State Park Quite Fondly

     I remember growing up in Memphis, Tenn., in the 1960's and 1970's and how my father used to take my brothers and me camping at Wall Doxey State Park just outside of Holly Springs, Miss., on Highway 7 heading towards Oxford, Miss.  Usually, it would be a short weekend trip and he would pull our camping trailer to the park and we would always have the best time that I remember.  We would fish, swim and even rent the paddle boats they used to offer. I have very fond memories of my weekend there as a kid.

   The park is named after Wall Doxey, a former U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Mississippi. With camping areas, rental cabins, walking trails, a large playground, and camp pavilions, the area offers a welcome opportunity to the weekend camper. A narrow levee surrounds a third of the spring-fed lake which, in its shallows, has cypresses and dense vegetation.  I have been meaning to stop by there for years on my home from Oxford after visiting some friends during our ever so often trips down South from Bowling Green.  Finally, this past weekend we did we did stop and I'm glad I did.  I probably haven't been there since my days as a college student at Ole Miss in the early 80's.  I remember we even had one of our Spring fraternity formals there.  Or at least, I remember some of it. I also remember that I once drove out to Wall Doxey to get away from campus on a beautiful Spring day. I was inspired to write a poem about the park while sitting at a picnic table. I still have a copy of it.

  The park is beautiful as ever.  However, I was a little sad to see that they do not allow swimming anymore and the snack bar/concessions areas are closed.  The man at the guard shack claims that they quit allowing swimming because of insurance purposes.  I asked him if some people had drown recently or something like that.  But he just said "No, it because of insurance purposes."   It was nice to pay Wall Doxey a visit again.  But again, I was left with a little uneasy, haunting feeling about the place that perhaps some people have drowned in the lake recently is the reason that quit allowing swimming.  I suppose it's just my gut, intuition feeling.  I can't help it. Maybe I'm wrong.