MICHAEL HOEFLICH

Received an e-mail from Mike Hoeflich yesterday. A voice from the past. We had not communicated in more than 25 years. Mike found me via this blog.

In the late 1980s, I was Chairman of the Syracuse University College of Law Board of Visitors. The Dean at the time resigned. A five person search committee was formed to select a new Dean. I was a member of the search committee.

We spent a year looking, interviewing, reading, etc. in our quest for a new Dean. I sometimes felt as if I was picking the next President of the United States. A trip! We wanted the best of the best. We got it in Mike Hoeflich.

As Board Chairman, I worked closely with the Dean. We were working for the good of the Law School. Mike turned out to be one of the finest people I have met. Intelligent, hard working, articulate, a leader, genuine, etc. It was an honor and pleasure to have worked with him.

Mike left Syracuse after six years as Dean. He moved on to Kansas University where he served as Dean for six years. Since 2000, Mike has taught law at Kansas. A big time professor. Chaired.

I recall Mike’s position clearly re law professors having to write and be published. He pushed the law faculty in this regard. He was a do as I do guy. Mike has published 15 books and 115 articles.

A good man in every respect!

I worked several hours yesterday fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. I decided to do a black America show. Stressed three areas.

The first was Charleston and the forgiveness thing. I believe forgiveness accomplishes nothing in solving our racial problems. I am not Jesus and could not turn the other cheek. Said why and what I thought should be done.

The next item involved the Confederate flag. Easy. Take it down! I fear the South Carolina legislature is going to delay. The legislature voted yesterday to debate the issue. Resolution could take forever, if at all.

The final item involved Josephine Baker. Traced her life. The discrimination heaped upon her. Her fight back.

Ran over to Roostica for dinner. Sat at the bar. Looked like a bum. Had not shaved in four days. I was hopeful of not running into anyone. Impossible.

Michelle joined me at the bar. Michelle and husband own Roostica. As well as Hogfish and Geiger Key. Enjoyed an interesting conversation. A I was leaving, Bobby arrived to join his wife.

Ran into Alex and Mary the other day at Publix. Alex, my horn blowing friend. A retired New York fireman, he is into his other life in Key West. He blows his horn at affairs. Many times accompanying Larry Smith. He has made several CDs and videos. He lives in Key West time.

Alex had read last week’s KONK Life column The Petticoat Affair. He was taken by it.

This week’s column publishes today. America, Land of the Free. The title selected with tongue in cheek. We are not the land of the free untill all people are equally treated.

Big day ahead! Anti-gravity treadmill at 11. Manicure at 12 with Tammy. Dinner tonight at Salute’s on the beach with friends. A typical Key West day!

Body Owners has brought me together with a new and different group of friends. All into physiotherapy. The sick, sore, lame and disabled. All ages. I am anxious to make my three times a week workouts. I want to see how my new found friends are doing, share tidbits with them.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

NOT AN ORDINARY DAY

I spent all of my yesterday into the early evening completing research and writing this week’s KONK Life column. Did not finish till 7 in the evening. Unusual to have taken so long.

It was the subject matter. The plight of the Afro-American in today’s society. Not boring. I approached the problem from a different perspective. I specifically addressed three situations. World War I’s Gene Bullard, World War II’s  Josephine Baker, and the recent Charleston killings.

I have discovered over the years that the writing of an article in the first instance does not take much effort. Once research is completed, the first draft goes quickly. It is the rewrites that take time. The devil is in the details.

I generally do three rewrites. To me, it is polishing the material. Words and phrases corrected/changed. Much like apples when sold in years gone by. They were purchased dirty at the fruit counter. Today, they come to us polished. Then, needed some buffing.

Writing involves a lot of buffing.

The unusual amount of time yesterday kept me from Father’s Day dinner with Lisa and the family. Dinner was set for six. I telephoned Lisa at 5:30 to tell her I needed at least another hour and a half to complete my column. It was already several hours late to the publisher. I told her the earliest I could make it was 8. I still had to shower.

Lisa said the meal was ready. It would be cold by the time I arrived. She said she would feed the family and save some food for me. I knew I would be exhausted by 8. I said…..Love you…..will not be stopping by. She understood.

My ankles came into the picture. I sat at the desk all day. By 7, they were swollen. Water filled. As if I had been on a long flight to Europe. It was water pill time when I went to bed. This morning, normal ankles. Helped by three nocturnal bathroom visits.

Caught the end of the U.S. Open. The last three holes some of the most exciting golf ever.

There was a house fire on Ramrod Key yesterday. Ramrod is two keys above me. All of 2 miles.

A mother and her two youngest died. Sad!

Fire fighting is a bit different in the Keys. There are few fire hydrants. The reason simple. The Keys are at water level. Ocean water sometimes 6-12 inches below ground level. Difficult to lay pipes.

There are a few fire hydrants near U.S. 1. The one for Key Haven is almost a mile from my home.

Fire fighters draw water from the ocean to fight fires. They have it down to a science. Works effectively. Hoses are dropped in the water and sucked into the hoses. Most homes have water available to them. Either from being on the ocean or on a canal.

Another police brutality situation the past few days. Owasso, Oklahoma. Involved a police officer from the Nowata Police Department. Shotgun butting of the person to be arrested while in his truck. After he had been tasered. Then again six blows to the head while the tased man was on his stomach on the ground.

All recorded on a camera. Interestingly, a camera set in the back window of one of the police cars.

The officer has been suspended.

Have to move! Anti-gravity treadmill later this morning.

Enjoy your day!