One of my favorite memories with the old man is attending Missouri’s upset of No. 1 Oklahoma in October 2010. I will always cherish storming the field with my 65-year-old father (and about 20,000 other Mizzou fans). Now, the actual trip from Topeka to Columbia, however, does not rank as a favorite memory, though I […]
Twelve Days of Christmas 2025, Part VIII: Dad and the 100-mph turnpike chase Read More »
I was 8 years old when I realized my father was not going to live forever. I remember asking him about it that night as he was tucking my brother and I into our bunk beds at our home in rural Lebanon, Missouri. “Dad, are you going to die?” I said. “Son, we all die.
Next writing project: The old man. Read More »
Back in the late 1990s, when malls were still a big deal, my father had a kiosk at the West Ridge Mall in Topeka. I vaguely remember what he paid for that small spot, but I do know it was as pretty penny. I also recall that he had a decent show, but it wasn’t
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024 finale: The ongoing search for James Danny Hollingshead Read More »
On an April day in 2019, my father and I stepped out of his house in rural Osage County to take a walk around his property. As we stepped onto the gravel 20 feet in front of his house, two sheriff’s deputies pulled into the driveway and stopped in front of us. Given my dad’s
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part XIII: The old man and Uncle Wayne Read More »
“As long as you’re alive, Dad is alive.” My old man said that several times on Father’s Day in 2012 while talking to John Henry, an uncle and my late grandfather’s brother-in-law and best friend. I’ve thought about that statement occasionally in the 12 years since. For my father, John was the last connection left
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part IV: The old man and John Henry Read More »
Hey, Dad. It’s been a minute. Actually, it’s been five years. Five years ago today, you left us for the afterlife. I’ve had the same line running through my head all day: “Five years. When you say it like that … you wonder where the time went.” That’s a paraphrase of a quote from one
A letter to my dad five years after he passed Read More »
Just win, baby. If you grew up with my father, you heard that often, notably during any sort of competition. It typically came with minor (and sometimes major) bending of the rules. Stealing cash when the banker isn’t looking during Monopoly? Just win, baby. Completely altering the score during a one-on-one game of basketball? Just
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part II: ‘Just win, baby,’ even at the Pine Tar Derby Read More »
My fascination with true crime began with a random television special about Gary Ridgway, infamously known these days as the Green River Killer. In 1988, though, that moniker had no face. It was a creepy story without an ending. At the same time, the iconic “Unsolved Mysteries” was a hit on TV. It was one
Twelve Days of Christmas finale: The search for James ‘Danny’ Hollingshead continues Read More »
One of the first things I wrote about my father after he died in 2019 was his favorite movie. It was one of the easiest blogs to write because he rarely took a break for the two hours needed to watch a film. It also was easy because he watched his favorite, “Lonesome Dove,” dozens
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part XI: The wonder of ‘The Wonder Years’ Read More »
Man, did I hit the jackpot. It was Christmastime in the fourth grade, and the richest kid in our class drew my name as a Not So Secret Santa. A toy car? A handheld video game? A set of really good baseball cards? Sky’s the limit! It was one of the few times I was
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part IX: Fast times at Maplecrest Elementary Read More »
