16 JAN 07: DAY OF DISCOVERIES

Sometimes you go to an event for one thing, and wind up taking home many others. That happened to me Monday, when I attended the Martin Luther King Day "Unity Service." And no, I didn't see anyone selling souvenir T-shirts with King's picture on them - as this is Columbus, not Atlanta.

It's easiest for me to simply list the discoveries I made during Monday's service at Metropolitan Baptist Church....

1. The new Columbus Mayor Pro-Tem has Parkinson's Disease. Evelyn Turner Pugh said so, as she offered official greetings from the city government. And her left hand shook as she said it - with no sign that she'd crushed her hand on a door.

"It's a mild case," Evelyn Turner Pugh explained to the audience. "I don't let it slow me down." Indeed - as I never noticed her showing signs of Parkinson's before, at Columbus Council meetings or the downtown bank where she works. In fact, a little hand-shaking might straighten out some of those crinkled dollar bills.

When I asked around about Evelyn Turner Pugh's condition Monday, one person told me there was some doubt she would accept the Mayor Pro-Tem position last week. But she's taking on the duty, even with Parkinson's -- which may confirm her once and for all in Columbus as a "mover and a shaker."

Evelyn Turner Pugh joins other public officials who have served while battling Parkinson's Disease. Take former Attorney General Janet Reno, who didn't let the disability become a personal weakness. Or have you noticed how she was never romantically linked to former President Clinton?

2. Columbus city officials don't turn out in large numbers for King Day Unity Services. Evelyn Turner Pugh stood in for Mayor Jim Wetherington. The only other Councilor there was Wayne Anthony - and no, he did NOT announce he's running for mayor in 2010.

3. At least one Muscogee County School Board member is feeling a bit guilty. James Walker admitted during the service he felt convicted by the "Unity Breakfast" earlier in the day -- and now wants to become "a man of more action." I didn't realize he was abstaining on so many school board votes.

James Walker encouraged the audience to become involved in the Columbus tutorial programs started by the late Lonnie Jackson. As Walker put it: "The district can't do it all...." Somehow, the "No Child Left Behind" program doesn't seem to agree with this....

4. Bus rides in Columbus used to cost ten cents. I learned this during remarks by Archbishop Horace Leonard of "Miracle Deliverance, the Triumph Dominion Church & Ministries Worldwide, Inc." -- a church name that's more like ten dollars than ten cents.

Horace Leonard recalled the efforts years ago to allow integrated dining in Columbus, at stores such as H.L. Green and Kresge. Today, of course, everything has changed. H.L. Green is out of business -- and Church's Chicken doesn't even bother putting restaurants north of 23^rd Street.

5. Even though Martin Luther King Day is now a holiday, some people still have trouble getting to the noon-hour service on time. Perhaps when Metropolitan Baptist Church finally builds a parking lot, a place can be reserved for the President of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.

6. Some church pastors have an amazing knowledge of popular music. The guest speaker at the Unity Service certainly did. Why, Pastor C. McGill Brown ripped off more words to "Rapper's Delight" than I've heard anyone do in years.... [True!]

C. McGill Brown is a pastor in Savannah, who used to attend Columbus College. He recalled how he used to join classmates for football on Sundays at Lakebottom Park. Nowadays, they might be more likely to gather down the street at Loco's to follow fantasy football teams.

C. McGill Brown brought a unique perspective to this year's King Day message - because he was born in 1969, one year after Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated. You know you're officially old when the church pastor is ten years younger than you are....

But I digress: C. McGill Brown said the church he pastors in Savannah was visited by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963. In fact, King presented excerpts from his "I Have a Dream" speech there - one month before it was given in full in Washington. So even preachers back then practiced the idea of "test marketing."

C. McGill Brown's focus was on teaching the next generation about the Martin Luther King legacy. But he offered other "aside" comments as well - gaining big applause at one point when he criticized pants worn below the waist. Yup, this truly was a Baptist church....

7. WRBL's Teresa Whitaker seems to show up at the Unity Service all the time - but very seldom does a photographer show up with her. Maybe she's keeping a hidden camera in her purse.

8. Away from the Unity Service, I was reminded that some people kept working on the Martin Luther King holiday. Construction workers finished up loose ends on the Columbus State University "Riverpark" campus downtown. At least, I'm assuming that - although maybe some performance artists are tearing apart the new building already, as a comment against educational elitism.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Since we're still in a "King Day" mode, here's a message about our Monday entry:

I enjoyed learning about Judge Johnson's contribution to the movement.

I do wonder why you chose to express "surprise" that he was a GOP supporter/member. Is your observation based on the fact that the Dems had a lock on the politics of Alabama and the South generally, or is it that an "eeeeevil" Republican would side with King and the NAACP?

If it is the latter, I wish to remind you that it was the Republican minority in Congress that consistently voted to support the advances in civil rights and the Democrats (especially those from Dixie) who fought this each step of the way - even upon JFK's demise.

If not for the GOP's overwhelming support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, LBJ (the great Majority Leader who failed to advance the rights agenda whilst in Congress) would have had nothing to sign.

So, Richard, please 'splain yourself.

Best,

Ed Joyce

Watch your "Ed-iting," Mr. Joyce. I didn't say I was surprised that Frank Johnson was a Republican. I wrote "YOU may be surprised." If you're not - well, this is a blog, not an episode of "Lost."

Given the way civil rights debates are framed across the U.S. today, I think some people would be surprised to find a "young Republican" was in Martin Luther King's corner 50 years ago. But remember, the G.O.P. is the party of Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, J.C. Watts - and where was Georgia pizza magnate Herman Cain in the last election, anyway?

Now before I fall asleep watching NBC's new yawningly-quiet "Poker After Dark," let's check other Monday items:

+ The high temperature in Columbus was 76 degrees F. I'd never gone running outdoors in the morning on King Day before, but this year I did -- and remember, running outside truly IS "free at last."

+ A new Red Robin Gourmet Burgers restaurant opened near Columbus Park Crossing. With a name like Red Robin, you'd think they would wait until March or April for the grand opening - but maybe the managers knew something about this warm winter that no one else did.

+ The Yahoo Real Estate web site showed a developer is offering five-bedroom homes in the new River Crest subdivision on River Road for $586,000. How wealthy do they think the Kia workers in West Point will be?

+ Bob Riley was inaugurated for a second term as Alabama governor. His speech was short on specific plans, but long on emphasizing courage - even saying parents showed courage by sending their children to school. If that sounds far-fetched, remember: dropouts can hold a lot of peer pressure.

+ ESPN's "SportsCenter" went to Tuscaloosa to interview new Alabama football coach Nick Saban. Saban revealed former coach Gene Stallings called him a couple of weeks ago, encouraging him to take the job. The reporter should have asked if Mike Dubose and Mike Price called Saban as well....

COMING THIS WEEK: This Hurtsboro thing is about to get very ugly.... and a sneak peek at a new Columbus club....

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