Don Newbury
Dr. Newbury spent more than 40 years in higher education, including presidencies at Western Texas College in Snyder and Howard Payne University, and was named HPU Chancellor in 1995. He and his wife, Brenda, live in Burleson, TX, where they have lived since semi-retirement began in 2000. He has been a public speaker for more than 60 years and continues to fill engagements throughout the state. His column, begun in 2003, runs in about 200 print and online newspapers, mostly in Texas. During his HPU presidency, enrollment reached an all-time high of some 1,400, and several major buildings were constructed. Their daughters, Jana Penney and Jeanie McDaniel, are HPU alums, as was their oldest daughter, the late Julie Choate. Dr. Newbury, a 1956 graduate of Early High School, holds B.A., M.J. and Ph.D. degrees from HPU, The University of Texas at Austin and University of North Texas, respectively. He also is the recipient of an HPU honorary doctorate. Dr. Newbury has authored several books.
The Idle American
THE IDLE AMERICAN: When ignorance is bliss
Since when do I feel the freedom to “lump” more kinfolks into the bin already spilling over with “we-should-have-known-better” contents? Regrettably, we must make room for one more–my wife’s cousin. Paula Ward–wedded to Jason Ward of
THE IDLE AMERICAN: Tire-kicking end in sight?
How used cars are marketed shouldn’t matter to my ancient Uncle Mort. After all, he swore off use of traditional transportation in the late 1900s when they started pricing gasoline in dollars instead of cents. Now,
THE IDLE AMERICAN: A Changed King for a Changeless God
Late in the 1500s, noted playwright William Shakespeare wrote his classic, Hamlet–his longest play that included an oft-quoted line, “The play’s the thing.” Surely he was prophetic. Providence cannot be ruled out, but coincidence can. Whatever, two
THE IDLE AMERICAN: A Prophet in My Own Mind
I’ve never claimed to have the gift of prophecy, nor do I now. Yet, it seems beyond coincidence that two of my past three columns have centered on bears, and now–lo and behold–bears are back in
THE IDLE AMERICAN: Much new under the sun
Their numbers are dwindling, but folks figuring there’s nothing new under the sun are spending too much time in the shade and/or staring too much at the fiery object that planets circle with precision–at least so
THE IDLE AMERICAN: All about time
Uncle Mort remembers the 1974 event vividly when the lady in front of him at the post office protested the cost of first-class stamps going up 25%–from eight to ten cents. “Are you telling me that
THE IDLE AMERICAN: Here comes the sun
I’ve pondered– likely at times when I should have been engaged in thoughts of consequence–about goings-on that seem to “fit” into one of three categories: Divine intervention, coincidence or “blind hog luck.” The older I get, the
THE IDLE AMERICAN: Barney, Jerry and old jokes
Gentle friends, if any such folks are reading, I wish to make it clear that during my 22+ years of writing this piece, I have avoided ever using “bad” words. If any sneaked in, they were
THE IDLE AMERICAN: Fancy meeting you here
My friend–call him Barney–has jumped through hoops and negotiated mazes that are part and parcel of a long and successful professional communications career. Now, he is spending well-earned retirement years on an East Texas farm.
THE IDLE AMERICAN: Movies forge on
If a vote were taken, Irving Berlin and Richard Rodgers likely would score landslide wins for memorable musical compositions, many of which live on. One hit song–featured in the 1946 Broadway hit, “Annie Get Your Gun”–was
THE IDLE AMERICAN: Late life droopiness
Only one other example of ongoing embarrassment trumps name-calling many of us faced in elementary school during the final years of the Great Depression. And it was in the “funny papers,” for crying out loud. No
THE IDLE AMERICAN: Who’s in charge here?
My old Uncle Mort, easily East Texas’ most ancient denizen, never throws anything away. Stuff is stored here and there, including such unlikely items as S&H Green Stamps, “in case they ever come back,” he says.