He sat there looking at me through blurry eyes from playing games on his laptop computer until the wee hours of the morning. His hair was multi-colored like a rainbow and spiked with the top flowing downward which made his head appear to have a small umbrella sitting on top.

He was around six feet tall, but very slender with no apparent muscle mass which a seventeen year old boy should have because of hormones, but because of his sedentary life style and intake of mostly junk, processed food, and lack of exercise his maleness looked suspect.

Sitting here listening to Bobby Helms singing “Special Angel” with the Anita Kerr Singers providing background vocals recorded at Bradley Studios in Nashville July 9, 1957. It hit #1 on the country charts and #7 on the Billboard Pop Charts. This beautiful song by Bobby Helms brings back in my memory my appointment with Dr. Edmunds on March 12, 2026. My son, Joel drove me to the appointment. On entering Dr. Edmund’s office, walking up to the reception cubicle I noticed a large poster behind the lady sitting there. She introduced herself as Edith and asked how she could help me. I stood there for at least one minute staring at the poster. It had a large picture of a large black jaguar on it. Edith had a faint smile watching me as I guessed this happened with most new patients on their first visit. After I gave Edith my name and appointment time I asked her about the jaguar. Edith told me her uncle had ran an animal rescue and rehab center in Largo, Florida. Edith helped her Uncle Vernon Yates when she was a young lady at the animal rescue and rehab center. While helping her uncle a mature black jaguar was rescued and placed there. Edith made a pet of the jaguar and was the only person who the jaguar would allow close, and would even lick Edith’s hands. Edith guessed the Jaquar was eight years old.

Since the first part of this series which was printed in the December issue we have made prophecy of America’s future which looks bleak. America’s main enemy as of now is China. China has Russia and North Korea as allies against America, did have Iran but Iran has now been rendered at present as harmless by the current American administration, their fortitude and the rebuilding of America’s military. But the snake is not dead, still has fangs and if not exterminated will heal and come back to bite and rejoin China as an ally. Remember China built the great wall of China which is 13,107 miles long and took over 2,000 years to complete. It took many Chinese dynasties to build it. China is in no hurry and they believe that China has a manifest destiny to rule everything on earth covered by the sky. China today exports up to 33% of America’s products

By James Perry

Western Auto: Tied to a Death Spiral with Sears

Western Auto Stores were founded in 1909 and grew to over 1,200 company stores and eventually 4,000 privately-owned associate stores that were located in small town America. I had the privilege to call on and sell to many Western Store Auto owners during my early work life as a territory salesman from the 1960s through the 1980s.

By James Perry

NASCAR: Slowly dying and I’m asking why.
A few years ago, an advisor to NASCAR asked me why it was losing so many fans both at races and on TV-covered races. This advisor owned four radio stations with two of his AM stations broadcasting the races and one FM radio station covering the Knoxville market.

In February’s article I wrote about the first small airplane accident that claimed the lives of (At the time of the accident) three of the most popular young singing entertainers. I wrote more on the life and success of Jiles Richardson, known as the Big Bopper. In the March article which is about the accident near Camden, Tennessee on March 5, 1963 at approximately 6:30 CST that claimed the lives of Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and pilot Randy Hughes. The Piper Commanche Airplane was owned by Randy Hughes who was Patsy Cline’s and Cowboy Copas’ manager as well as Cowboy Copas’ son-in-law married to Kathy Loma Copas Hughes who was Cowboy Copas’ daughter and also, recorded duets with her father, Cowboy Copas. This article will tell you about Cowboy Copas who at the time was the biggest star on the airplane. Today, most under the age of fifty do not know about Cowboy Copas and have never heard any of his recorded songs.

We will resume with the serial series of “The Late Great America” in April with part 3. This months and March articles will be of tragic loss of talent and also life caused by events put in place by decisions made from inexperience, haste, and by a personal vendetta. This month’s article started in the fall of 1958 as Buddy Holley disbanded with the Crickets, stopped recording with Norman Petty at his recording studio in Clovis New Mexico, moved to New York City, met and married Maria Elena Santiago, enrolled in acting classes and planned his next recording session at Decca’s Pythian Temple Studio. His session was on October 21, 1958 and was backed by band leader, Dick Jacobs conducting an eighteen-piece ensemble composed of musicians from the NBC Symphony Orchestra. This was the best performance and recording of Buddy Holley’s career and his last

Imagine it’s 2075 in the former USA which is now part of the CCP’s new slogan “The sun never sets on the Chinese Empire. This slogan was conscripted from the former now gone Colonial British Empire which fell simultaneously with the former United States of America in 2030. It took the triad powers of China, Russia and Iran to accomplish the downfall of the world and gain and alter the capitulation of the white English-speaking superpower the black and brown countries fell like dominoes one by one in rapid succession. After the fall of the white English-speaking superpowers, China starting eradication of their partners in Russia and Iran. There were mass killings wiping out leaders in Russia, Iran along with remaining leaders in the USA, England, South America, Africa, and the Moslem Countries. There were millions of humans eradicated worldwide during the 2030’s and 2040’s. By the late 2040’s China controlled the entire earth.

It’s 1956 and Khruschev is on TV in the USA and states “We will take over America without firing a shot!“ This bold statement by the Russian leader shocked most Americans but was soon forgotten by most because at the time things were good across the USA. We had been out of the Korean War for three years. The USA economy was growing. We had new music for the young, great looking cars that families could afford, and the new TV medium being covered by three national channels NBC, CBS, ABC, and the new public channel. Things were great in the ole USA. Families were welcoming new babies through the 1950’s with three-four children being born to most with father working public jobs and mother at home raising the young. Everything was hunky-dory across the sleepy USA. But underway there was skullduggery creeping into our public institutions such as universities, colleges, US government, and most of all our entertainment medium such as TV programs and movies, with plans to change our music. Especially the doo-wop, rock-n-roll, and country. These musical changes happened on February 7,1964 with the arrival of the Beetles from England.

Most inanimate objects get no attention after their use has expired, but the object that I am writing about deserves a place in Union County notoriety and history. This object has brought so much pleasure to three decades of Union County natives as well as the many, many visitors to the County. This object was produced from 1935 until 1992 by its founder, born in Canada and moving to the USA. The 600,000 sq. ft. factory was located at 800 North Kedzie Avenue, Chicago IL in 1934. The Chicago factory has since been demolished. The plant eventually was relocated to Torrence, California. The object written about here was built in 1952 and designated Model 1434. It was designed to ...