What’s in a name, part 2

Our youngest child is named “Carlton Fulghum Wallace.” Naming our third born was the toughest. Unlike with our second-born, Harris, we were able to find out he would be a boy at 20 weeks into the pregnancy. We considered the family names still available to us that we liked, and we kept returning to “John,” … Continue reading What’s in a name, part 2 →

Mom and math

Throughout my formative school-age years, my mother was very engaged in my academic career. She expected her three boys to make all A’s and excel in everything we put our minds to. A mathematician, she worked to ensure that we take the highest levels of math available to us, believing that the knowledge and the … Continue reading Mom and math →

First born

I am the firstborn son of a firstborn son, but it wasn’t until my first son was born 21 years ago that I began to understand how little I knew about being a parent. Carla and I waited until she finished her master of social work degree before having children. It took us a little … Continue reading First born →

Rivalry weekend: Why can’t we all just get along?

We’ve reached that special time in the college football season when interstate and intrastate rivals meet head-to-head for bragging rights, championships and bowl invitations. If your family survived the political arguments over the Thanksgiving table and disagreements about decorating the Christmas tree, this display of division and antagonism can finish you off, sending family members … Continue reading Rivalry weekend: Why can’t we all just get along? →

Thoughts on Lanny

On Nov. 1, 2013, my father-in-law, Lanny Barron, was in an automobile accident on his way to his house in Sandersville from his family's farm outside of town. He died on Thanksgiving, Nov. 28. Today's essay is the eulogy I had the honor of delivering at Lanny's funeral. He and Cynthia would have been married … Continue reading Thoughts on Lanny →

Mercer pride

I had just wrapped up a conference call and had about 15 minutes until I needed to leave my office for my next meeting on the other side of the Georgia Tech campus. A quick check of the Mercer-Duke score revealed Duke had pulled ahead. No need to get excited. The Number 3 seed was … Continue reading Mercer pride →

Preserving the art of Southern storytelling

I had been to Arkansas only once in my life until a month ago. Now, I’m transported to the Starving Artist Café in the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock once a week for an incredible 30-to-40-minute immersion into the wide-ranging true experiences of Southerners. In the last month I’ve discovered and gotten hooked … Continue reading Preserving the art of Southern storytelling →

Truth in labeling

There comes a time in every parent’s life when they are faced with the sudden and shocking realization that their children are no longer children. Monday morning I pulled an undershirt out of the drawer, and there at the back of the collar, just above the imprinted size and manufacturing information was the letter “L” … Continue reading Truth in labeling →

New tricks

Jack is an old dog. To you and me he’s 16, but according to the Pedigree Dog Calculator, he’s the equivalent of an 80-year-old man. Jack has outlived his brother, Joe, by about 10 years. He’s outlived his best friend, my father-in-law, by three months now and counting. He’s an old dog, but he is … Continue reading New tricks →

It’s all downhill

These were two journeys I didn’t want to take. I was less than thrilled to be “voluntold” by my wife back before Christmas that I was chaperoning our son’s first snow skiing adventure in January with the youth from church. This attitude was mirrored in my less-than-enthusiastic embrace of said son reaching the adolescent milestone … Continue reading It’s all downhill →