From blog to reality

Does anybody read these blogs? I mean besides someone from Heavener? Yes and yes, on both counts. I can truthfully say that somebody besides those of us who are in the Heavener group read them.

Somebody right here in Tyler , TX . Kevin Hill, the general manager of CPS Medical, Inc., contacted me not long ago via email and said he had read a blog of mine and wanted to know if we could get together sometime since he lives in Tyler, too.

I thought, why not? It might be interesting to meet someone not from Heavener who read a blog from the Heavener group. Besides, it would be another chance for me to write a blog.

He gave me a phone number to call. Being the curious type, I called to find out where his business was located. Through Mapquest.com I found his office and as it turns he is just about two miles from my house. Easy to find.

Kevin had read the blog I did back on June 1 on Jack Mildren, former OU quarterback who recently passed away. Kevin is a graduate of Austin Reagan High School , played football and Reagan won a state championship, playing Mildren’s Abilene team in something like 1967. He just googled in Austin Reagan on his computer and it produced my blog, because Reagan had played Abilene and my blog on June 1 was concerning one Ray Dowdy playing against Mildren.

Kevin, it turns out, was a sophomore teammate of Dowdy, a senior tackle. Kevin couldn’t believe someone had actually written a blog on Dowdy and Austin Reagan. The subject of my blog was how Dowdy had played against Mildren in high school and again four years later in an OU-Texas game. The facts were correct, Kevin said, which made me feel good because I had gotten my facts straight.

Kevin went from high school to Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches , and from there on SW Texas State in San Marcos where he received his degree. We had a nice visit – I covered SFA during my days as a sports writer for the Longview News-Journal—and a few laughs about Dowdy, so we had more in common than just knowing Dowdy

I’ve emailed him a few forwards since, and I’ll make sure he reads this blog, too.

So, yes, somebody does read these blogs occasionally.