Ponderings by Dan Ponder

Putting politics aside, you are having the opportunity to witness a bit of history this week as President Obama visits Cuba; the first visit by a sitting President in 90 years.   Calvin Coolidge was the last President to visit our island neighbor to the South.  I doubt many of us remember that. My own memories…

I am writing this column on Super Tuesday while traveling home on a plane.  It allows me to briefly escape the non-stop media banter regarding this election, today’s likely outcome, and what it all will mean to this year’s Presidential election.   During this short three day trip to St. Louis, Mary Lou and I…

For 52 years I have followed the way our country selects people to run for President and then elects them.  I watched George Wallace and Ross Perot run as third party candidates and influence the ultimate election.   I have seen incumbent Presidents be defeated after their first term.  I have seen little known candidates catch…

Three and a half years ago, my mother decided to move to Huntcliff Summit, an independent living facility in Atlanta.  She didn’t ask permission from my brother, sister or me.  She had already visited several facilities and made her decision.  She selected a delightful place with even more delightful residents.  The decision was hers to…

This past Sunday I watched a segment on CNN about James and Deb Fallow’s 54,000-mile journey around America in a small single engine plane.  I made a note to find an article on their journey in this month’s edition of The Atlantic Magazine.  Ironically, a friend sent me the link to the article the very…

Growing up there would occasionally be a special day.  At school, we would have a Field Day which usually meant we were just running around outside rather than having classes.  Those were pretty popular. Sundays were widely known as Church Day.   Saturdays were Mowing Day and for many families Friday was Wash Day.   However, in…

This week we get to celebrate a most unusual achievement.  The Donalsonville News is one hundred years old.  That is an extraordinary achievement for any newspaper, but for a small, rural weekly, it is even more special. There is no doubt that the gathering and dissemination of news is much different today than a century…

During the long lead up to the Iowa caucuses this week, people have periodically asked me which candidate I would support.  While I had an early favorite or two, I actually wanted to hear what the candidates had to say.  Only half-jokingly I would say that I had a list of all the candidates and…

It was bitterly cold this past Sunday as Mary Lou and I made our way to the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta for their 8:30 Communion Service held in the Winship Chapel.  The wind chill was 15 degrees with a brisk wind and a smattering of snow over the ground. First Presbyterian was founded in…

The unexpected announcement this past week that the Walmart Express in Donalsonville is closing caught everyone in this community off guard.  Employees found out the night before the statement and I received a call at 7 am the next morning.  After all, it hasn’t been quite a year since the multi-million dollar facility opened.  …