The 1871 hurricane season kicked off with two back-to-back storms in June. Both of these cyclones were classified as tropical storms, but were still able to do considerable damage. The first one formed near Key West and hit Galveston on June 7th. It was the worst storm since the 1867 hurrica…

As I approach the ninth decade of my life, I view myself as mature. Sometimes, no matter how old we become, each of us has occasions when we might just need to analyze how  mature we have become.

It’s taken a while, but recently I had a mental and religious epiphany that led me to a higher level of maturity while driving a vehicle. I’m now someone family and friends can be proud of.

Back in the day, Coney Island was a ferry ride away from Baytown.

Nothing works like it used to. I was playing bridge recently with friends, and one of them was nerv-ous when she had to play the hand. She said it bothered her that she couldn’t play it as well as she did in college. Her brain just wouldn’t work like it did back then. I said, “Does anything …

Both houses of the state legislature approved SB 1160, and it is awaiting the governor’s signature. Gov. Abbott has 20 days to sign or veto the bill.

Galveston was narrowly missed by September hurricanes in 1863 and 1865, both doing lots of damage to the east. In 1863 the Union schooner Manhassett was captured by Confederates when she was driven ashore at Sabine Pass and nineteen out of twenty ships had capsized in the Sabine River in 186…

When my three boys had a long hot summer vacation from school, they often decided to play Monopoly. We shared our experiences in previous generations. Sometimes we continued the same set-up for days. Little sister was not welcomed at the Monopoly board and the youngest brother walked around …

Next week, the Gathering Of Old Toots (GOOTs) will celebrate its 20th birthday on its 21st anniversary.

While the good old summertime stirs memories of happy days (sigh), the season also reminds me of bad old mistakes.

The Texas General Land Office dished out $1 billion in Hurricane Harvey aid to numerous coastal cities and counties.  

Today marks the beginning of the 2021 hurricane season so we’ll celebrate the occasion with a look at another storm which had a big effect on Baytown history. By 1854, the area had grown to the point that a public road had been built from Lynchburg to the mouth of Goose Creek, roughly follow…

Once upon a time in a long ago land, there was a time when we were close. Sometimes we hugged each other, the men shook hands and everyone said, “Excuse me” if they bumped into each other. 

When two torpedoes from a Japanese submarine blasted the USS Indianapolis on July 30,1945, two men from Baytown were aboard the doomed ship.

Stick with me here. You’ll be glad you did.

Resist the urge. When someone calls you on your cell phone when you are in a public place, please don’t feel the need to answer and carry on a lengthy discussion about your business or personal matters. No one wants to listen to your long-winded discourse on whatever it is that can wait unti…

In April, I wrote a column critical of Chapter 313 tax abatements for local industry.  Last week, the Houston Chronicle published a damning investigative report on the very same topic.   

Next week marks the beginning of the 2021 hurricane season so I thought I’d look back at a few of the storms to hit the Baytown area over the years. 

Someone recently asked me what motivated me to write book reviews. 

I’ve done a lot of things within the past month that I had to and/or needed to give up this past year. 

The legislature is kicking around a bill that would make it legal to openly carry a sidearm without a permit.  Putting politics aside for now, let’s take a look at the origins of gun culture in Texas.

Have you ever experienced a time when you just needed someone to listen? You might have had a great triumph in your life or had a bad day and just needed someone to talk too. With technology and fast paced lifestyles that we are living it is becoming a lost but very important part of our lif…

Smells evoke memories. It is one of our very powerful senses. It can alert us to impending danger or awaken great enjoyment. Almost everything has an odor.

My cousins lived in the country, miles out of town. They had their own horses and hand-fed deer out in the woods. Best of all there were hundreds of acres of forest and a creek to explore. It seemed like heaven to me. We didn’t hesitate to escape there when Aunt Janet called us to do our chores.

Galveston Island is situated on a sand bar with little in the way of natural resources so the city relies on imports from the mainland. Through the nineteenth century, hundreds of two-masted schooners from all around Galveston and Trinity Bays brought all sorts of supplies to the island rang…

These days I spend most of my time gardening and watching movies and TV shows. Summer is near and the warmer temperatures have me seeking refuge inside. Fortunately, there is much to do for now.

Bill Hartman was 10 and I was 17 when we first met at The Baytown Sun.

Even if you don’t like baseball – or badminton or cricket, for that matter – you should read this piece anyway.

Hepatitis C is a stealthy virus that can be potentially lethal. An estimated 3.5 million Americans have the hepatitis C virus, but because it frequently has no symptoms, many of them have no idea their health could be in danger.

We gathered together last weekend to celebrate motherhood. Any woman can have a child, but not all of those who do, are truly mothers in the fullest sense of the word. It takes a dedication far beyond anything that a woman may face in her life. It is an honor and a calling that demands your …