Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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8 AUGUST 12-18, 2015 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Those of us who are product s of t he 1950s of ten ref lect on t he good old days; w ishing we could ret urn to t he t ime when Eisenhower Republicans were held in high esteem. It was a dif ferent t ime, an env iable t ime of prosperit y and harmony. At least it was where I grew up in Upst ate New York . I st ill consider myself for t unate t hat I was educated in a st ate where I at tended k indergar ten in t he post-World War II era. Folk s my age who grew up in Nor t h Carolina didn't get an early child- hood educat ion. W hen I went to junior high in t he mid-'50s, my school had an indoor Oly mpic-size sw imming pool. W hen I gradu- ated f rom high school in 1959 w it h a Regent s Diploma issued by t he St ate Universit y of New York, I had t he equivalent of a f irst year edu- cat ion at Duke Universit y. I was for t unate to have been reared in an upper middle-class family. My dad was an execu- t ive w it h General Elec t ric, and of course, my mom was a homemaker. We lived a priv ileged Ozzie and Harriet lifest yle. And yes, I do w ish we could relive t hose days, which of course, we cannot . But in one way, I am st ill able to t hank s to a dear f riend who I met in t he 1960s when we bot h ser ved overseas in t he milit ar y. Jerr y was in t he Air Force and I was in t he Army. He happened to be a nat ive of Fayet tev ille, and we were reunited here af ter leav ing t he ser- v ice. To t his day I'm amazed t hat when we get toget her for break fast or dinner, he always bumps into people he k nows. He has never met a st ranger. He went to school w it h my late w ife at A lexander Graham Junior High and Fayet tev ille Senior High School. W hat 's f unny about my f riend is t hat in many ways he is st ill st uck in t he '60s, and I somet imes env y him. Jerr y doesn't use an ATM card except to get cash out of t he machine. He w rites check s when he pays household bills and he carries cash in his wallet . He st ill reconciles his checkbook each mont h. How many of us do t hat any more? He doesn't believe in online bank ing and he mist rust s t he government . He carries a f lip phone and doesn't tex t . He has a real home phone, too, and t urns of f his cell phone when he's at home. He doesn't have a Facebook page. Jerr y tells me his dear w ife put s his clot hes out for him each morn- ing. I was aghast when he told me t hat, but t hen he explained it 's because his eyes are color def i- cient . He's not color blind, but close. My f riend drives a 12-year-old car of which he is ver y fond. He and his bride have a wonderf ul t radit ional marriage. He holds on to old fashioned values t hat were ingrained in t hose of us who grew up back in t he day. Those values include honest y, loyalt y and com- mit ment . Is t here any t hing else you could ask of a f riend? A Simpler Time by JEFF THOMPSON JEFF THOMPSON. Columnist. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910.484.6200. 4624 BRAGG BLVD. Saturday, August 15, 2015 Registration 12:00 p.m. *Guardian ad Litem Foundation serves as an advocacy and support organization for volunteers who serve as a voice for abused children of the courts. Fundraiser for Guardian Ad Litem Foundation* Legends Pub (Fayetteville's Original Biker Bar Since 1996) SPECIAL THANKS TO Beneting Your Community Handbook News, Views, Arts and Entertainment. Fayetteville's Community Newspaper providing useful information for you every week. www.upandcomingweekly.com 910.484.6200 Update Inside UPDATE INSIDE CUMBERLAND MATTERS Bring Your Love Downtown The Night They Invented Champagne Entertains FEBRUARY 9-15, 2011 FEBRUARY 9-15, 2011 VOLUME 16 ISSUE 06 VOLUME 16 ISSUE 06 Focus On Fayetteville INSIDE I Love Downtown Fayetteville Quacks Up Duck Derby Slated Now online! Flip our pages for news, views art and entertainment! www.upandcomingweekly.com Call and ask one of our marketing representatives to help you grow your business. 484-6200