Newton Citizen

Darrell Huckaby: Oklahoma tragedy will bring out the worst -- and the best -- in us

Words cannot express the horror that went through my mind as images of the deadly tornado that swept through Oklahoma began to be broadcast Monday afternoon.

Darrell Huckaby: Writing this column never grows old

Sometimes when I speak I am asked to field questions from the audience.

Darrell Huckaby: Choosing a line of work now that I'm retired

Now that I am a retired educator I guess I have to decide what to tell people when they ask me what I do for a living.

Darrell Huckaby: It's hard to part with the 'stuff' of life

All good things must come to an end. I haven't really gotten tired of teaching. I just don't have the energy to do it all day any longer.

Darrell Huckaby: Always cherish your mother

If you still have your mother this Mother's Day, cherish her. If you do not, cherish her memory.

Darrell Huckaby: We've lost a lot of color from the words we use

Words. We all have the same ones at our disposal but many of us seem determined to use the same ones over and over.

Darrell Huckaby: Even in heaven, Hazel Parish is the belle of the ball

If they had a yearbook for towns Hazel would have been best-dressed in Covington's for the past 88 years running.

Darrell Huckaby: Saying goodbye to the cafeteria

The lunchroom was one of the best things about having the privilege of being educated in Porterdale.

Darrell Huckaby: Special Collections Library houses Georgia treasures

Last week I stumbled across a place I had never been -- and it is a place so filled with the types of treasures that are near and dear to my heart that I will have to keep going back.

Darrell Huckaby: May 1 brings a Porterdale rite of spring

May 1 was a day we all looked forward to when I was a little linthead growing up in Porterdale.

Darrell Huckaby: Watching reruns, eating TV dinners

Sometimes Southern sandwiches made frozen TV dinners look good.

HUCKABY: Slavery not only issue of Civil War

Confederate Memorial Day is for remembering those who fought and died for a cause they believed in.

Darrell Huckaby: Every hair in place

Huckaby takes a trip down memory lane via hair products.

Darrell Huckaby: Memorial event helps lighten a sometimes dark world

Kate Caruso was a bright light in a world that seems to be growing darker with each passing season.

Darrell Huckaby: My youngest asks: "Where's God in these tragedies?"

When I learned of the attacks in Boston on Monday, I sat down and pounded out a column full of anger and belligerence. The next day, my youngest child, Jenna -- after taking time to reflect -- sat down and penned the following words.

Darrell Huckaby: In the wake of tragedy, America must unite

I had such a warm and wonderful column planned for today ... That story will have to be postponed until Sunday.

HUCKABY: Another ho-hum day, or a landmark in history?

The thing that separates normal ho-hums from days that live forever, of course, is the fact that on certain days monumental events take place

Darrell Huckaby: High school basketball has been a love affair through the years

I have been having basketball withdrawals.

Darrell Huckaby: Teachers, students held to the wrong standard

Somebody has got to realize that there has to be a better way to evaluate the success of a student, a teacher, a classroom, a grade level, a principal, a school, a school system and, yes, a superintendent of schools than the almighty standardized test scores.

Darrell Huckaby: I enjoy a cup of Joe -- despite the risks

I think that relaxing with a good cup of hot coffee at the beginning of the day is good for the soul.

Darrell Huckaby: A fan of women's basketball and Andy Landers

I was a fan of women's basketball long before it was cool.

Darrell Huckaby: This Easter a milestone in a fruitful journey

What a difference a year can make.

Darrell Huckaby: Another sign that the world has gone crazy

Just when I thought it was safe to glance at the news again I confirmed my growing suspicion that the world has gone slap dab crazy.

Darrell Huckaby: When teacher talk turns to toenails

I am about to enjoy my 39th -- and final -- spring break, as a classroom teacher.

Darrell Huckaby: Enough wasteful spending to drive taxpayers batty

I have never cared too much for bats.

Darrell Huckaby: There are no winners without competition

In competition there are winners and losers. Period.

Darrell Huckaby: Composing my own song of the South

Thi is what I like about the South.

Darrell Huckaby: Reality TV beckons

I got the same email every day for a week. I had been "selected" to audition to become the subject of a documentary/reality television show about a real life Clark Griswold character.

Darrell Huckaby: Sunday driving was its own destination

Whatever happened to getting in the family car and going for a ride? Other than $4 a gallon gas, I mean.

Darrell Huckaby: Save us from those who want to save us from ourselves

They used to only come in little green bottles, as far as I knew anything about.

Darrell Huckaby: Old friend ignites good memories

Huckaby is reacquainted with old friend Louis L'Amour while in Houston airport.

Darrell Huckaby: The actors change, but the show goes on in Washington

Just when you thought politics couldn't be fun anymore, Kentucky's Rand Paul stands up and puts on a show in the Senate that rivaled Strom Thurmond at his best.

Darrell Huckaby: Sequestration and other budget quandaries

So how's the sequestration going so far, y'all?

Darrell Huckaby: Setting out on a new career

I have been a classroom teacher for 39 years now and had hoped to be able to make a career of it.

Darrell Huckaby: What I'll do if it ever warms up

I'll have plenty to do, once the weather gets warm.

Darrell Huckaby: Hard to find the South in these recipes

I used to love Southern Living Magazine.

Darrell Huckaby: Second thoughts about planting seeds

Friday was a cold, damp, wet, dreary day in the North Georgia Piedmont — a day that could have easily given way to dark depressing thoughts to match the elements.

Darrell Huckaby: Family travels set to country music

Country music brings back memories of our family travels.

Darrell Huckaby: Reflecting on wisdom of presidents

President's Day a good time to reflect on what our presidents have taught us.

Darrell Huckaby: Losing a student one of the toughest trials of teaching

Teaching has many trials and tribulations -- along with many rewards.

Darrell Huckaby: Time to retire some annoying verbal habits

It is way past time to put a few worn out words and phrases to rest.

Darrell Huckaby: A visit to Beantown might change your mind about New England

I have decided to celebrate my upcoming retirement -- this one is for real -- by going back to Boston.

Darrell Huckaby: Not having a beard may grow on me

People are constantly asking me why I decided to grow a beard.

Darrell Huckaby: Great debate continues over gays in Scouting

We are engaged in a great debate over whether the Boy Scouts of America should or will change their longstanding position against allowing homosexuality to creep into the Scouting movement.

Darrell Huckaby: Here’s a test of your Atlanta trivia skills

I’ve always been partial to trivia — even before it was called trivia.

Darrell Huckaby: 'Mayday!' call brings unexpected response

I learned that hundreds of Facebook friends have my back.

Darrell Huckaby: Let Arthur Blank build his own new stadium

How much of the bill for the proposed new stadium does Arthur Blank expect the taxpayers to pick up?

Darrell Huckaby: Historical figures make an interesting collection

I'm building a collection of history's most interesting figures.

Darrell Huckaby: Culinary tour of Athens works up an appetite

I wouldn't say I travel to Athens all that frequently, but when I crank my car, I have a hard time steering it in another direction.

Darrell Huckaby: Time for some straight talk about race

Can we talk? About race I mean? Can we talk reasonably and sensibly and without rancor and emotion?

Darrell Huckaby: Too many pythons to visit

Huckaby decides his best course of action is staying away from the Everglades.

Darrell Huckaby: Retelling the tales of one of UGA's best coaches

Hugh Durham is and always has been one of the funniest men I have ever heard speak in public.

Darrell Huckaby: Friendship rekindled brings special memories

1966 was a very good year, the Vietnam War, notwithstanding.

Darrell Huckaby: Pray for comfort for family touched by tragedy

I am afraid of something happening to my kids and I am afraid of fire in the night. A local family realized both of those fears last week.

Darrell Huckaby: Better think twice before stomping on Old Glory

You'd think someone from South Carolina would know better.

Darrell Huckaby: 'Lincoln' tells only part of the story

I would have enjoyed Lincoln a lot more if I hadn't spent so much of my life studying the history of our great nation.

HUCKABY: Bringing in the New Year with football and a few old friends

The holidays wore me to a frazzle. When's the last time you heard that expression?

Darrell Huckaby: A few things I aim to do this year

I haven’t felt up to making any bodacious resolutions the past couple of years, but I am feeling finer than a frog’s hair split four ways these days, so I am going to give it a whirl.

Darrell Huckaby: The real Christmas gift

I never wanted to be one of those parents who tried to relive their lives through their kids.

HUCKABY: We are losing the good fight in America

Schools are supposed to be safe havens, especially for little bitty children. ... Schools are never supposed to be where children go to die.

Darrell Huckaby: These are the things that mean Christmas

When Christmas has come and gone this year I will not have missed one moment of its magic.

Darrell Huckaby: Heading toward a fall off the 'fiscal cliff'

Nothing good will come from going over the 'fiscal cliff.'

Darrell Huckaby: The greatest evangelist is one of ours

Billy Graham is still telling the old, old story in contemporary style.

Darrell Huckaby: Solving the gift-giving conundrum

We have all been on both ends of the Christmas gift conundrum.

Darrell Huckaby: 'Two Nations; One God' A personal view of the War Between the States

I was only two years into my formal education when America began commemorating the centennial of The War.

HUCKABY: Scouting experience builds lifetime of connections

A hundred years ago I earned my Eagle Scout Award.

Darrell Huckaby: Christmas toys still bring joy many years later

I posed a simple question to my Facebook friends Monday morning. "Favorite Christmas toy?"

Darrell Huckaby: Thanksgiving has been replaced by worship of sales

Black Friday; Cyber Monday: It's gotten totally out of hand.

Darrell Huckaby: Another year of reasons to give thanks

The third rock seems to make that annual orbit around the sun faster and faster with each passing trip.

Darrell Huckaby: Never fear the storms of life

I like the rain. My mama didn't. She was as afraid of a bad cloud as anybody I ever knew.

Darrell Huckaby: Take a moment to thank a veteran

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, in 1918, the Armistice began, ending World War I -- the Great War, which was to have been the "War to End War" and to make the world "Safe for Democracy."

Darrell Huckaby: When the road gets rough, a show tune can help you along

The revelation I am about to make is not as earth-shattering as the one John received in that dream 2,000 years ago, but it might catch a few of you off guard. I love show tunes.

Darrell Huckaby: Sometimes an angel will cross your path just when you need it

There are angels among us.

Darrell Huckaby: No matter the election outcome, America will endure

I suppose we could call this weekend the calm before the storm.

Darrell Huckaby: Search for Soap Sally turns up rich memories

I got an unusual call a couple of weeks ago, from a reporter from the big city newspaper in Atlanta.

Darrell Huckaby: It was a great week on the banks of the St. Johns

Just as the 2012 Georgia Bulldogs put an end to loose talk about "old man football" in September, they put an end to talk about a soft defense Saturday night on the banks of the St. Johns River.

Darrell Huckaby: Biking can take you a long way

Learning to ride a bike can lead to bigger and better things.

Darrell Huckaby: Strange times, strange folks

Let me tell you -- being a part of the advanced party for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is tough!

Darrell Huckaby: Obama's debate comments lacked historical perspective

This is my totally biased summary of Monday night's presidential debate.

Darrell Huckaby: Forget Big Bird, Popeye has what it takes for political success

Poor old Big Bird. He has become a talking point in the soon-to-be-over presidential campaign and the big fellow doesn't like it one bit.

Darrell Huckaby: I voted for spending money wisely and a better community

I voted Monday. Yeah, I know. It was kind of early but my health has been bad. I wanted to make sure that my ballot had been cast in case something happened between now and Nov. 6.

Darrell Huckaby: Staying connected can be harder than you think

Modern technology is absolutely wonderful -- until it's not.

Darrell Huckaby: A turn in the weather brings thoughts of gratitude

Fall fell on the North Georgia Piedmont Sunday evening, and I'm loving it.

Darrell Huckaby: Debates give revealing glimpses of presidential candidates

If debates were scored like prize fights, Mitt Romney won last Wednesday's debate by a knock out.

Darrell Huckaby: Car poor and running out of luck

I was painfully reminded this week of a long-standing truth that I had all but forgotten. Cars break down.

Darrell Huckaby: A firm foundation built at Julia A Porter Methodist

I love that little Methodist Church in which I was raised and the people in that church helped put me on a firm foundation.

Darrell Huckaby: Eddie Potts: We are better for having known him

Thursday night at Rockdale Medical Center, I saw love, and, therefore, have come as close to seeing God as I ever will, until He and I have that long appointed face to face meeting, that is.

HUCKABY: Politics and food a natural combination

I have watched a lot of politics over the years and I have observed that you shouldn't trust a man who eats too high in the hog

Darrell Huckaby: None can compare with Mrs. Effie Boyd's cooking

I was chatting with my friend Linda Boyd at our Oak Tree Gang tailgate party last Saturday last Saturday and the talk turned to food.

Darrell Huckaby: Waxing nostalgic for the good ol' days

A few of us were sitting around talking the other day and talk got around, as talk is wont to do, to the old days.

HUCKABY: Of all of the treasures in Texas, one is closest to my heart

Ever since I was a small child watching shoot 'em up cowboy movies on television, Texas has been a mystical sort of place for me.

Darrell Huckaby: In presidential politics, the truth hurts

Shame, shame on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for telling the truth.

Darrell Huckaby: Dan Brokaw was a true minister who lived his faith

How can you know so little about a person you love so much?

Darrell Huckaby: A little advice for a new member of the SEC

Ever since the news broke last winter that Missouri and Texas A&M would be joining the SEC, I have been determined to be a part of the welcoming party.

Darrell Huckaby: A day in September that we should not forget

Do you remember that day in September when most Americans realized for the first time that we had been in a global war for a long time without even knowing it?

HUCKABY: Reverent Taps the least we can do for fallen soldiers

Taps. I don't know anyone who isn't affected emotionally by that haunting melody.

HUCKABY: Remembering one of the great ones

Darrell Huckaby remembers a great writer, the likes of which hasn't been seen lately.

Darrell Huckaby: Remembering an American hero, Neil Armstrong

The first man to walk on the moon Neil Armstrong is dead but not forgotten.

Darrell Huckaby: Political conventions of old were high drama

Political conventions were a big deal during the days of my youth because they meant something.

Darrell Huckaby: Here's a football plan to get excited about

Here's a story about courage and friendship and love and about the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.

Darrell Huckaby: Augusta National's decision a win-win

Condi Rice and Darla Moore apparently have been admitted to full membership to Augusta National Golf Club.

Darrell Huckaby: Loran Smith forever an integral part of Georgia athletics

Loran Smith and I have a lot in common.

Darrell Huckaby: Too many bound by the chains of government entitlements

I think the ties that are binding the people in today's society are that a greater and greater percentage of Americans are now depending on the government for their livelihood.

Darrell Huckaby: Bittersweet as students head for college

Every time a kid comes by to see me as they leave for college I find myself wishing I were going with them.

Darrell Huckaby: Grocery store encounter leads to grammar lesson

Y'all is a perfectly good word and don't let anybody tell you any different.

HUCKABY: Buick sighting brings back good old days

Huckaby laments that they don't make cars like they used to, especially the 1968 Buick with seats that recliine and an 8-track player.

Darrell Huckaby: 'History with Huck' available for masses

On the second Thursday of each month, beginning Aug 9 and continuing indefinitely, Darrell Huckaby will be teaming up with Debbie Golden and Conyers First United Methodist Church to will make a 60 minute presentation on some phase of America's history. He will share stories, dispel a few myths and emphasize the role that God has played in the founding and development of the nation.

Darrell Huckaby: Saying good-bye to a friend who inspired with joy

All of us have touchstones in our lives. We have people, places and things that remind of who we are and who we are meant to be.

Darrell Huckaby: Apparently some beliefs are more entitled to free speech than others

I don't know exactly when we started demonizing people for standing up for their Christian beliefs, but whatever day that was was a sad day for our nation.

Darrell Huckaby: Even in South Rockdale the critters are running wild

Why in the world do I feel like I am living at Lion Country Safari?

Darrell Huckaby: Aurora a reflection of a society in decay

Our problems as a society go far beyond the scope of the NRA.

Darrell Huckaby: Verily, EMC customers have some important business this week

Those of us who live in the rural areas of our communities and receive our electricity from Snapping Shoals EMC -- well, we have some business to take care of this week.

Darrell Huckaby: Simple solutions never fly

Remember blue laws? They are laws that often, when compared to the nuances of modern day society, make people shake their heads and wonder what group of lawmakers ever thought that we needed such regulations.

Darrell Huckaby: A pretty darn effective ad

I have seen some memorable television ads in my time. I remember Speedy Alka-Seltzer and the old lady that liked hamburgers but was constantly asking, "Where's the beef?"

Darrell Huckaby: Looming election season promises entertainment

All politics is local. Longtime congressman from Massachusetts, Tip O'Neill, gave us that bit of wisdom during his 10-year tenure as speaker of the House. With the Republican and Democratic primaries looming on the immediate horizon, local politics are heating up.

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