Triad Today

There are only a handful of stand-up comedians whose approach to the genre has been transformative, among them, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Rodney Dangerfield, and more recently Nate Bargatze and Leanne Morgan. Pryor revolutionized modern-day storytelling. Carlin was a master wordsmith. Seinfeld took observation comedy to new heights. Dangerfield morphed his tag line into a career of one-liners. Bargatze and his signature pauses elevated the art of self-deprecation, and Leanne Morgan is proving that women everywhere can identify with a mom from the South. And just when we thought there was no more new comedy ground to break, Andy Huggins appears on the scene.

Huggins is the Rodney Dangerfield of geriatrics. Rodney built his entire act from one premise, and so too has Andy. For Dangerfield, it was “I get no respect.” For Huggins, it is “It’s tough getting old.” I can relate to Andy’s comedy. He is 75 years old and I’m nearly 72. But his brand of humor also makes young people laugh out loud. Just take a look at his act on YouTube and you’ll see why his universal appeal is going viral.

Andy is funny because of his material and his delivery. His pauses before the joke line are as artful as Bargatze’s, and his one-liners are not one-dimensional. They aren’t just about his age; rather, they are commentaries on current trends.

 

“As far as social media goes, you can follow me on the bulletin board at Kroger’s.”

“I’m not on Twitter, but I will stop people on the street and tell them shit they’re not interested in.”

Those kinds of jokes point to what happens when we age, but they also poke fun at the absurdity of our reliance on posting and sharing every thought that comes into our heads.

Andy also makes fun of phrases and trends that inhabit our politically correct world.

“I have an inner child, but I don’t think it’s mine.”

“I’m woke…for about another five hours.”

“I took a quiz on Facebook called, ‘What’s your spirit animal?’ I got ‘Extinct.’”

“I’m 75 years old, and life expectancy for a man is 76. Life expectancy for a woman is 81. I figure if I transition…”

Earlier this year, Andy signed on to do his first comedy special, which can be seen on Apple TV and Prime Video. Yet despite his meteoric rise to fame, Andy is not an overnight success. He has been performing stand-up for 40 years. Asked by NPR’s Scott Simon about developing an act around his advanced age, Huggins said, “It’s what I know better than anything at the moment. I write what I’m familiar with, and age is inescapable. Age is a fact of life.”

It’s also a fact that audiences love Andy’s brand of humor. And, thanks to the internet and a plethora of streaming services, he’s reaching more and more people every day. “It’s so deeply satisfying,” he told Simon. “So deeply reassuring that I’ve got a useful purpose while I’m still alive.”

Truth is, none of us knows how much time we have left, yet we hope that we can make the most of it and somehow make a lasting contribution. Young Andy Huggins has done that in a big way.

“A couple of Saturdays ago, before I went onstage, I asked the club manager, ‘How much time do I have?’ He said, ‘Can’t be much.’”

We all hope that club manager is wrong.

On April 29, 1962, while speaking to a group of Nobel Prize winners at the White House, President John Kennedy said:

 “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”

The geniuses who were assembled that night got the joke and revered its meaning. That’s because we Americans have always prized the fact that our presidents have possessed the intellect and character to lead our country and to be a respected leader in the world. In short, the President must have a command of knowledge about world and national events, and how history has shaped those events. Yes, Gerald Ford got flustered in a debate and misspoke about Russia’s dominance over Poland. And yes, George W. Bush had a tendency to mangle the English language. But, for the most part, we could always count on our presidents to act, think, and speak with a sense of reason and decorum, until now that is.

From the moment he began his first term in office, Donald Trump has shown a total disregard for the truth and a total lack of knowledge about anything but golf. The New York Times, CNN, and other news outlets employed fact-checkers who have kept a running list of every lie Trump told which, since 2017 has exceeded 50,000. Sometimes his lies have resulted from going off script in order to brag about something he says he did (but didn’t actually do). However, most of the time he says things that are untrue because he just doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Trump once said that it was Canadians who burned down the White House during the War of 1812. He called Belgium “a beautiful city.”  When asked what the Declaration of Independence is about, he said it was about love. He claimed that President Andrew Jackson was “really angry” about the Civil War which would have been a good trick if Jackson hadn’t died 16 years before the War started. Speaking of the Civil War, Trump said “It ended in 1869 or whatever,” and that the bloodiest battle occurred on the site of his golf course along the Potomac River. In fact, not a single battle took place on that site. Speaking at a Black History Month luncheon, Trump indicated that Frederick Douglass was still alive. And he was surprised to learn from his staff that Lincoln was a Republican. It’s no wonder that Ron Filipowski, a former federal prosecutor, said Trump “couldn’t pass a 7th grade U.S. history exam.”

But Trump’s most recent gaffe came last week while meeting with West African leaders at the White House. He praised Liberian President Joseph Boakai for speaking “such good English.” The Liberian delegation took offense at that remark and with good reason. Liberia was founded by Americans, their currency is the U.S. dollar, and the official language of Liberia is — you guessed it — ENGLISH. In addition to Trump having no knowledge of history or geo-politics, his idiotic comment to President Boakai also raised concerns among some groups that Trump is, at heart, a racist.

After all, it was Trump who once referred to African nations as “shit-hole countries.” And since beginning his second term as president, he has drastically cut or eliminated scores of programs designed to honor or assist African Americans, ranging from purging the names of Black leaders from federal documents, to criticizing Juneteenth, eliminating DEI initiatives on college campuses and in the workplace, and potentially throwing 13 million people off of their healthcare coverage.

Whether intentional or not, whether racist or not, Trump’s total lack of knowledge is having a devastating effect on our daily lives here at home and on our image abroad. The sad thing is that 77 million Americans returned him to the White House last year, not caring about his lies, his crimes, or his demeanor. They are seemingly OK with having a rude, functionally illiterate man lead our country who revels in all of the things that he doesn’t know.  If ignorance is bliss, then Donald Trump is the happiest man in America. By the way, the phrase “Ignorance is Bliss” originated with Thomas Gray, a poet who was born in 1716…or as Trump would say, during the Civil War.

In 2017, 13-year-old Tyler Hughes of Clemmons went for a ride on his ATV. The road was slick, and the ATV flipped over on him. Tyler survived the crash, but the roll bar severed his left arm. Fortunately, surgeons were able to re-attach his arm, but the near-death experience didn‘t deter the boy. While recovering from surgery, Tyler told a Winston-Salem Journal reporter, “I can‘t wait to start riding again.”

What happened to young Tyler was not a rare occurrence. According to Reuters, about 11,000 such accidents occur every year resulting in 900 deaths annually, and that‘s just involving ATVs. Dirt bikes are also a source of tragedy.

Last month 14-year-old Cam Trail died in a motorcross competition when he collided in mid-air with another biker. The event was hosted by East Bend Motorsports and held in Yadkin County. Afterward, Emiee Murray of King who organized a GoFundMe page for Cam‘s family said, “He [Cam] inspired others to chase their dreams.” Dreams of what? An early death? No matter because the day after Cam‘s death, the competition continued as if nothing had happened. Chad Mabe of Tobaccoville had no problem letting his 13-year-old son get back on the track saying, “What happened last night could have happened in any sport.” Another parent, Jarrett Gold wrote on Facebook, “It scares me to death it could happen to my child…but God says, ‘Trust Me.‘” Are you kidding me? I‘m no Bible scholar, but from what I‘ve read God never indicated that 13- and 14-year-old boys should ride ATVs or race dirt bikes.

There‘s a reason why society imposes age restrictions on products and activities that could pose a threat to the well-being of children. Here in North Carolina, for example, you must be 18 to purchase cigarettes (in 2019, Congress raised the age to purchase tobacco products to the age of 21), and 21 to buy alcohol. You must be 16 to apply for a driver‘s license. You must be at least 17 years old to join the armed forces and you can‘t play in the concussion-ridden NFL unless you‘ve been out of high school for three years. You must be 21 to purchase a handgun, and 18 to compete at the top NASCAR races. The reason for these and other restrictions is that children and young teens are not yet fully developed physically, emotionally, or mentally, and need time to mature before embarking on high-risk activities.

Nevertheless, organizers of motorsports and ATV events will tell you that they are not to blame for accidents and injuries because parents have signed a consent form. The problem is that parental consent is not designed to circumvent the law and here in North Carolina, a parent whose child is injured or killed while operating any kind of motorized vehicle or equipment, is guilty of a Class E felony which is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Specifically, N.C. statute 14-318.4, section (a4) states, “A parent or any other person providing care to or supervision of a child less than 16 years of age whose willful act or grossly negligent omission in the care of the child shows a reckless disregard for human life is guilty of a Class E felony if the act or omission results in serious bodily injury to the child.” Translation? If you let a child engage in dangerous behavior, you are guilty of child abuse.

I can understand why a 13-year-old who just had his arm severed in an ATV accident would say “I can‘t wait to start riding again.” That‘s because children don‘t know any better.

Their parents should.

Over 80 television series premiered in 1975, and that’s a lot considering there were only three TV networks at the time. Back then there was no internet, no streaming, and very few cable offerings. But of the many sitcoms and dramas that bowed 50 years ago, only a few had a significant impact on the industry and pop culture. Here, in alphabetical order, are eight of the more memorable ones.

Baretta Robert Blake starred as Detective Tony Baretta whose best pal was a cockatoo named Fred. The series ran for three seasons on ABC and could have gone longer had Blake not made the decision to leave. The show featured some memorable catchphrases, like when Baretta would say to a criminal, “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.” It was a prophetic and ironic warning because Blake himself would later be accused of murdering his wife, and spent a year in jail while awaiting trial. He was eventually acquitted.

Barney Miller In the annals of broadcasting, there have only been a few sitcoms set in a police station and this was the best. Hal Linden played the titular role in this ABC series, where he was in charge of a diverse detective squad set in The Big Apple. The series launched on January 23 and aired its last episode in May 1978, but has been in re-runs ever since. I once asked Linden why the show had held up so well for so long. “It was a brilliantly written show. It didn’t settle for cheap jokes. Instead, it was all about the frailties and humor of human behavior. We were also ahead of our time in presenting topics that are still relevant today.”

The Jeffersons Created by Norman Lear as a spin-off from All in the Family, The Jeffersons starred Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford as George and Louise, next-door neighbors to Archie and Edith Bunker. George found success in creating a chain of dry cleaning stores, allowing the couple to move on up to “a penthouse in the sky.” It was also the first prime-time series to depict a prosperous African American family. I met Isabel and Sherman in the summer of 1977 and found them to be delightful individuals. Their groundbreaking series ran for 11 seasons on CBS.

One Day at a Time This Norman Lear creation was a hybrid sitcom, meaning that it was full of laughs, but also covered serious and controversial topics. It starred Bonnie Franklin as a recently divorced mom with two teenage daughters. I first met Bonnie at a CBS junket two years after the show premiered, but we were reunited for a TV Moms event that I produced in 2008 which also featured Family Ties star Meredith Baxter. That evening the audience learned the back story of One Day at a Time. Meredith’s real-life mom, Whitney Blake had pitched a show to Lear titled 38/13 based on her experiences as a 38-year-old single mom raising 18-year-old Meredith. Lear bought the show and retitled it One Day at a Time which lasted for nine years on the Tiffany network.

Starsky and Hutch While police dramas have been a staple of prime-time television since 1949, the buddy cop genre came late to the game. I Spy (1965) was about two secret agents and Adam 12 (1968) featured a pair of uniformed cops riding around Los Angeles. But Starsky and Hutch was the first buddy cop drama series about two plainclothes detectives. The series which aired for four seasons on ABC starred Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul in the title roles. The show also made it cool to drive a two-toned Ford Gran Torino.

Switch This CBS series only lasted three seasons, but it was memorable for two reasons. First, it paired two established stars, Eddie Albert and Robert Wagner, as private detectives, and second, after being cancelled, it propelled Wagner into his most famous role as Jonathan Hart in the long-running hit show Hart to Hart for ABC. I first met Wagner when he was promoting Switch, but we reunited 30 years later when RJ was in Winston-Salem to help raise money for the Humane Society, and we have stayed in touch ever since.

Welcome Back Kotter It is rare for a hit show to be created by its star (Jack Webb did it with Dragnet) and even more rare for a stand-up comedian to create a sitcom in which he is the series lead, but that’s what Gabe Kaplan did in bringing Welcome Back Kotter to ABC. Kaplan played Gabe Kotter a teacher at the fictional James Buchanan High School in Brooklyn. In the series, Kotter, an alum of Buchanan, teaches a class of rag-tag academic underperformers who call themselves Sweathogs. The leader of the gang was a young John Travolta in his break-out role as Vinnie Barbarino. Kotter which faded after four seasons, launched Travolta’s film career which began with Carrie in 1976.

Wonder Woman There are lots of ways to judge how successful a TV show is. Some achieve high ratings. Some are hailed by the critics. But very few series can boast that its main character is still one of the most popular Halloween costumes nearly a half-century after the show went off the air. Wonder Woman, starring Lynda Carter (as superhero Diana Prince), ran for three seasons on ABC, the first of which was set during World War II, and the final two seasons were set in present day. There was never any explanation for why the show jumped 30 years ahead, but hey, Wonder Woman was an Amazon who never ages so we all bought into the time warp. It was fun to watch Wonder Woman deflect bullets with her magic bracelet and throw her lasso on bad guys to make them confess their crimes. It was also fun for us males in the audience to stare at Carter’s iconic, low-cut costume, and fantasize about visiting Paradise Island where women are in charge, kind of like at my house.

1975 certainly wasn’t the greatest year for launching prime-time television shows, but it wasn’t without some bright spots, like the eight series that I’ve just mentioned. And, thanks to a myriad of nostalgia TV channels and streaming platforms, you can go through a time warp of your own to enjoy most all of these classic series.

 
 

Sports enthusiasts often speculate as to how great a particular player would have been had he not gotten injured early on in his career. Such discussions are pointless and resolve nothing, except perhaps when the sport under consideration is politics, and only then when we have definitive measurements at our disposal to make an educated analysis. John Edwards, Gary Hart, and Cal Cunningham all come to mind. All three were on a clear path to higher office, but their careers were derailed by self-inflicted injuries caused by a lapse in judgement. And that brings me to Derwin Montgomery.

At age 21, Derwin became the youngest person ever elected to Winston-Salem City Council where he served for three terms. That catapulted him to the State House of Representatives and a 2020 run for Congress in the newly formed 6th district. He was outmatched and outspent in the Democratic primary losing to Kathy Manning who would go on to win the general election. Nevertheless, Derwin’s political star was still on the rise.

I first met Derwin in February 2020 when he appeared on Triad Today to discuss his candidacy for Congress. He was extremely articulate and informed about the issues, chief among them were healthcare, pre-K education, and the plight of the homeless. The latter was a topic in his wheelhouse because, at the time, he was running the Winston-Salem based Bethesda Center for the Homeless.

“The work I do every day with the homeless really shapes my political understanding, and how I approach policy through the lens of equity and justice,” he told me.

Under Derwin’s leadership, the center provided meals, shelter, and social resources to hundreds of homeless people.

“I once came across a veteran who had been dishonorably discharged from the military for behavioral health issues which were never addressed, so we helped him navigate through the system to get the support he needed.”

I’ve interviewed tens of thousands of people over the past 50 years, and I’ve developed a pretty good bullshit meter. In my opinion, Derwin was the real deal. He was passionate about causes that affect everyday folks, and he displayed honest sincerity in his answers. As it turns out my bullshit meter wasn’t properly calibrated that day because, unbeknownst to anyone, in the two years prior to our interview, Derwin had been taking luxury vacations, visiting gentlemen’s clubs, driving an expensive car, and funneling money to his media company, all at the expense of the homeless people he was supposed to be helping.

In 2023 Montgomery was convicted of 15 counts of program fraud, having charged over $26,000 to Bethesda for his various private outings. He was facing up to 10 years in prison but instead cut a plea deal to avoid jail. The terms of his deal meant that 14 of the 15 counts were dismissed, he was put on 5 years probation, and ordered to make restitution and pay fines totaling $60,000. Late last month he was arrested for violating the terms of his probation by failing to make his most recent monthly payment, leaving him $5,500 in arrears. He is now in federal custody.

I am conflicted about the plight of Derwin Montgomery. On the one hand, he embezzled money from an agency that helps homeless folks, and he deserved to be punished for it. On the other hand, he did a lot to help those folks while he ran Bethesda Center. I also question the logic of the Court imposing hefty fines which made it more difficult for Derwin to make direct restitution. Finally, it is difficult for me to admit that I was entirely wrong about his sincerity and his compassion for those less fortunate. Yes, he abused his position and broke the law, but he did a lot of good for a lot of people, so perhaps he can work his way through this mess and one day manage to regain his status as a valued public servant. Call me crazy, but I still believe in the guy.

 
 

I first met Addison McDowell in February of 2024 when he was one of six candidates running in the Republican primary to represent the newly drawn 6th Congressional district which includes Southwest Guilford, Southern Forsyth, Northwest Cabarrus, Davie, Davidson, and Rowan counties, as well as Kernersville, High Point and Walkertown. Thanks to gerrymandering, the new district heavily favors Republican candidates, so incumbent Kathy Manning did not seek re-election. McDowell placed first in the primary garnering 26% of the vote with former Congressman Mark Walker coming in a close second. Walker declined to call for a run-off election and opted instead for a job with the Trump campaign. That gave McDowell a clear field with no Democratic opposition. He defeated Constitutional candidate Kevin Hayes in a landslide.

After graduating from UNC Charlotte, Addison cut his teeth in politics by serving in Ted Budd’s district office, and later by working as a lobbyist for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. I caught up with the 31-year-old first-term congressman when he visited Triad Today while on Easter break. The following are highlights from our conversation.

Jim: Give us some personal background. Where did you grow up, what did your parents do?

Addison: I grew up in Davidson County and went to North Davidson High School. My dad was a pastor by trade, and he left the pulpit to go work at the Baptist Children’s Home. I grew up in a great house with two brothers. I live now in Davie County with my wife and two daughters.

Jim: You’ve been very active in trying to bring jobs back to North Carolina. Bring me up to speed on that.

Addison: We’ve seen a number of announcements already, like Merck is making a massive investment here. So is Scheider Electric. This district was hammered by NAFTA. You saw manufacturing jobs get up and walk away and they haven’t come back. Thankfully we have a president now who is putting Main Street first, and we want to bring those jobs back, and that’s what we’re seeing as we tour the district. We’re seeing construction sites for companies who will offer high-paying jobs, and I’m so proud of that.

Jim: Earlier this year you introduced a bill that would equip schools with fentanyl overdose prevention resources. What is that all about and what’s the status?

Addison: This is a bill that would train teachers on how to use naloxone and things that will reverse deadly overdoses from drugs like fentanyl. It will also provide education for students and teachers. My thing is any bill that addresses this problem, I don’t care how small it is, we’re going to do it. You think about it like a thousand-piece puzzle. This may be one piece, but I’ll work on all one thousand pieces.

Jim: And this is very personal to you.

Addison: Absolutely. I lost my little brother Luke to fentanyl poisoning in 2017 when he was only 20 years old, so it’s personal for me. But it’s personal for so many people. Jim, everywhere I go, people tell me that the same thing happened to someone they love. Everyone knows someone affected by this problem, so I’m proud to be fighting for all of those people too.

Jim: You’re also very active in supporting the Coast Guard. In what way?

Addison: The Coast Guard is our next line of defense when you think about securing the border. Drug trafficking is a billion-dollar industry. This problem is not going to stop because if you secure our southern and northern borders, where are they going to come from next? It’s our ports. Our Coast Guard is tremendously underfunded and we’ve got to give them the tools they need to stop this.

Jim: The previous administration allowed over 20 million immigrants to enter our country illegally. What are you doing to abate that situation?

Addison: We’re giving ICE and border patrol the freedom to do their job. Obviously, we want to provide additional funding for the wall, make our borders secure, and also hold the Mexican and Canadian governments accountable. I think you’ve seen that this administration is doing a great job already and that’s why we’ve seen a massive drop in illegal immigration.

Jim: Older folks are afraid because they keep hearing that Congress is going to cut Social Security.

Addison: That’s a lie that is being told to people to scare them, but it is simply not true. We have a bill that makes it so we cannot legally touch Social Security. So, one, we don’t want to, and two, we can’t.

Jim: Speaking of older folks, what have you learned from your parents or grandparents that have stood you in good stead as a congressman?

Addison: My grandma is a tough woman. I think she could probably still beat me at arm wrestling [laughs]. She worked at the lawn and garden section of Walmart for almost my whole life. She’s in her 90s now, but that’s the hardest-working woman I know. She’s one of two people that I will leave a meeting for with anyone to take her call.

For more information, visit McDowell.House.gov.

 
 

Old-time broadcasters like myself were taught to avoid so-called “dead air” at all costs. For laymen, dead air is when a long pause occurs with no sound. In fact, radio executives used to fear that listeners would tune to another station if the host wasn’t continuously jabbering or playing music. That’s why it was odd that Brad Krantz was so successful for so long because his delivery was replete with natural pauses, and his fans (of whom I was one) never turned the dial. Brad was a brilliant guy whose take on current events was always insightful, and his humor was always organic to the conversation at hand.

Brad worked in a number of markets but is best known for his long stint in Greensboro, first as the star attraction at Rock92. Later he teamed with Britt Whitmire on what would become a two-decade journey that went through several iterations at several radio stations before morphing into a popular podcast. But no matter where they landed on the dial or your device, Brad and Britt always put on a good show. The boys were my favorite radio team because they could have a serious discussion one minute and offer up humorous ad lib observations the next. They were unique. 

Commenting on his senior partner, Britt told me,

When I first met Brad, I was 19 years old and working part-time at Rock92 where he was the morning host. I was very intimidated because Brad had already achieved a lot in the industry that I wanted to be a part of. Over the years he became the most loyal friend I have ever known. He championed me in a way no one else did, commiserated with me, and scolded me when I needed it. I was fortunate to be his co-host longer than anyone else, and I’ll treasure our experiences together for the rest of my life.

Britt’s last podcast with his mentor posted in February of this year as Brad was battling myelofibrosis, a rare type of bone marrow cancer. After two unsuccessful transplants, our friend finally succumbed to the disease and passed away on May 6. He is survived by his wife Jane and their two children. Brad Krantz was 69 years old.

I first got to know Brad when I invited him and Britt to appear on the Triad Today Roundtable, usually separately. It gave Brad in particular an opportunity to offer up his opinions on serious topics, but also to display his famous wit and weird sense of humor, as was evident in this exchange from December 2011.

Jim: Here’s an item in the news, a gun club in Arizona is allowing children to hold a rifle while having their picture taken with Santa Claus. Do you see anything wrong with that?

Brad: Well clearly that’s wrong because I believe Santa usually carries a knife [laughs].

I learned of Brad’s illness in February of last year, so I called to let him know I was thinking of him, but also to learn more about his ordeal which I planned to write about in one of my weekly columns. What follows are excerpts from our conversation.

Jim: Let’s talk about what you’ll have to go through before and after you identify a blood marrow donor.

Brad: This is a process that started a couple of months ago. First of all, I’m 68, so there are a few extra hurdles that you have to go through at my age before they decide if they even want to go through with it. I mean, if you’ve been smoking your entire life or you’re in bad health, then why would they do this? Fortunately, I’ve passed all of the tests.

Jim: How does the donor system work?

Brad: There’s an international registry called Be The Match and that’s where people have donated their blood, have had it analyzed, and are supposedly willing to step forward if they match up with somebody who needs this procedure done.

This could be years later and then they decide to donate their blood which could be flown here from anywhere in the world. The blood type doesn’t matter. In fact, my blood type will change to whatever type the donor is. I just hope the donor at least has hair [laughs]. Anyway, I’m a couple of months into this now and they have contacted some of the perfect matches to see whether they are still available or if they still want to do it. It’s kind of an opaque process because I’ll never know who it is, and they will never be identified. They could be anywhere in the world.

Once the donor has agreed and they are healthy then about a month later I would be admitted to the hospital, and I would get five days of chemotherapy which would kill off the rest of my immune system and get rid of any cancer that might be involved. We’d then start over with stem cells and a transplant from a donor and that then needs to take hold inside of me. That’s where my isolation begins because at that point, I have no immune system and I’m vulnerable to anything. So, they will keep me in an air-tight area of the hospital where visitation will be limited to a few people, and that goes on for at least a month.

Then, if it all works out it might be eight months to a year after transplant before I’d be back to what you would consider normal. It’s brutal though because you have to take a lot of drugs to keep you from rejecting the new immune system. It could reject you or you could reject it.

Jim: How were you diagnosed?

Brad: This all started back in October [2023] when I got my regular blood test and my numbers had crashed. Red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin had all crashed to horrible levels. Two days later I’m over at Wesley Long Cancer Center getting checked out.

Jim: Had you experienced any symptoms?

Brad: Well that’s what’s lucky for me. Normally you get very tired, but I didn’t feel any different than I had. In fact, two weeks before that my wife and I were over in Europe and all we did was walk everywhere and I was fine.

Jim: How are you doing right now?

Brad: I got a couple of blood transfusions a couple of months ago and I’ve been on a drug called Jakafi, it’s one of those $ 20,000-a-month drugs and it has gotten my numbers back to a much better level. I haven’t had to have any transfusions for over a month, and hopefully, I’m only a few months away from the real deal.

Jim: How many matches do you have so far?

Brad: They told me there were over 700 matches, but if you are cross-racial it’s much tougher to get a donor because you want to have a genetic match. For me, that would be someone of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. 

Jim: Well, I just wanted to check on you and get some information that I can include in my column about your condition which could also serve to educate folks about the disease.

Brad: You know me, I’m not Mr. Joyful, but I’m really optimistic about what’s going on and the way this is going. I’ve got a good support system, and I’ve got friends. Most importantly I’ve got my wife and kids who will come in to help out and keep me in line when I come home and go through what is not going to be the most pleasant 2024, but considering the alternative, I’m all for it.

Jim: What are you doing between now and then?

Brad: I need to keep active all the time up to when I get admitted to the hospital. I can’t just be sitting on my ass because it’s a physical ordeal that I’m about to go through. 

Jim: You’re going to do fine, pal.

Brad: I really appreciate the call, but hey, I’d rather you not write anything just now. Let’s give it a little time. I’ll give you a heads up before I go into the hospital, and then if I die you can write my obit [laughs].

And so, by writing this column I am honoring Brad’s prophetic request, but I wish I wasn’t. I wish he was still around to make me laugh, to discuss politics with, and to remind me that, above all, Santa carries a knife. Rest in peace, my friend./p>

For information on the National Marrow Donor Program, visit BeTheMatch.org.

 
 

In an era of political partisanship which is marked by vitriol and name-calling, Ted Budd is a breath of fresh air. He can discuss hot-button issues without getting hot under the collar. He is respectful of people who disagree with his positions, and he doesn’t mind sharing the spotlight if it means getting a bill passed that can help those in need. He is a quick study and a hard worker, and he is one of the most genuinely charming men you could ever meet. He is also loyal to a fault and his support for a law-breaking president is baffling to me, yet if Ted himself ran for president tomorrow I would be the first in line to vote for him.

I first met Ted back in 2018 when he was a freshman congressman and since then he has appeared on Triad Today 10 times to discuss public policy and update our viewers about proposed legislation. Our latest exchange came during his spring break from the United States Senate. What follows are highlights from our conversation.

Jim: Recovery from hurricane flooding is still ongoing in western North Carolina. Talk about the federal response efforts that you were involved in.

Ted: Our office started before the storm actually hit. We were in touch with Duke Energy, the National Guard, and lots of others because we knew it was going to be a bad one, but we didn’t realize how bad. Remember there was already 10 inches of rain before the hurricane got there and this was a geological event like we’ve never seen in North Carolina. If you’ve been in this state long enough and you remember Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Floyd in the northeast that was a Category 1 that dumped a ton of rain. If you combine those two together that’s what we had in western North Carolina. We’ve been out there from the beginning just to offer support and see what was needed, and clear bureaucratic roadblocks so that these groups could do what they needed to do. Since then, we’ve been going out there to see what progress has been made and what still needs to be done, and toward that end, I recently secured a $1.4 billion dollar grant to help families recover from the devastation.

Jim: Let’s switch gears for a moment. What is the greatest security threat to our country? Is it Russia, China, AI?

Ted: They are all threats that we all have to keep our eye on. But some of them are opportunities. If you look at artificial intelligence, for example, it’s an opportunity as well as a threat. That’s one of the things our office focuses on is to make sure that we use AI for the benefit of the American worker. It needs to be a servant to us and not a master of us. 

Jim: Over the past couple of years, the Biden administration allowed over 20 million illegal immigrants to enter our country. What are you and the administration doing to abate that problem?

Ted: When I go down and talk to border patrol agents and ask them what they need, they say, “What we really need is policy.”  What President Trump has done is enforce the law which has lowered the amount of illegal entries by 94%, and that’s just by enforcing the laws that are already on the books, and if Biden had done that we wouldn’t have the problem that we have now.

Jim: How do you stand on tariffs?

Ted: Tariffs are a tool to level the playing field. When I talk to individuals whether they are a small business owner, a big business leader, or an individual they understand what President Trump is trying to do and level the playing field. I think people are willing to pay a short-term price for our long-term economic health, not just for their country, but for themselves.

Jim: You introduced a bill to provide support for families of substance abuse victims. Tell me about that.

Ted: You and I have talked about this since 2017 when I first came into office. It’s been a major concern of mine, and we don’t want families to not have the resources they need to deal with those who are addicted. It’s about providing resources so they don’t have to go through this alone. This is a bipartisan bill. It’s one of those few areas where you can reach across the aisle and say, “Would you help me on this?” A Democratic senator from New Mexico helped me on this bill and we introduced it together.

Jim: A lot of us older folks keep hearing from Washington that Social Security is going to be cut.

Ted: I think that’s a political threat. I know President Trump and I don’t see that. I think he’s caring for seniors, and all of the cuts that you see they’re not cuts on Social Security. They are things we’re doing to shore up our federal spending so that we have the money to pay for Social Security and Medicare. You’ve got to cut out the waste fraud and abuse and you’ve got to cut out unnecessary programs that don’t serve us that tend to get in the way economically in providing those key services. We want to protect those key services and that’s what President Trump is working on and that’s what I’m supporting.

Jim: Who or what led you to give your life to public service? 

Ted: I’ve always been in the business of service, growing up in a family business that did janitorial and landscaping, or just helping your neighbor growing up on a farm in Davie County. So, I sort of had that city world and I had that agricultural world as well, and there’s nothing more rewarding than helping your neighbor. Look, this is a tough job and there are a lot of tough days where you feel like you’re getting your ribs kicked in, but at the same time, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to help people. I get to help a lot of people on this job, and it’s certainly rewarding, and I’m honored to do it.

Jim Longworth with documentary producers Jack Hilliard, Bill Gordon, and Tim Auman, working on a Bicentennial special titled
So You Think You Know the Constitution

“He’s just the nicest guy.” It’s a phrase we’ve all used at one time or another to describe someone we know. In truth, though, it’s a rather disingenuous superlative. After all, who could actually be that nice? Who could have a positive attitude all of the time, is a good listener, and treats everyone with respect? What kind of guy never loses his temper, has an impish smile, and gives 110% to everything he does? There’s just no one like that…except Jack Hilliard.

I first met Jack 51 years ago when I was hired to work on his studio production crew at WFMY-TV. I was excited to be working in television, and I wanted to do a good job for Jack, whether I was sweeping floors, operating a camera, or loading graphics. And, I wasn’t alone. Everyone who worked with Jack wanted to please him, because we liked and respected him. He could tell you what to do without yelling or talking down to you, and that just made us all work that much harder. Funny thing, but I never asked Jack how old he was. I knew there was an age difference between us, but he always had so much energy that I figured he was some sort of Peter Pan-like character who would live forever. Sadly, forever came too soon. Jack died on April 10 after a brief illness. He was 85.

Kenneth Jackson Hilliard, Jr. was born in Asheboro, attended Asheboro High School, and graduated from UNC, so it is understandable that his all-time sports hero was Carolina football stand-out Charlie Choo Choo Justice who went on to play for the Washington Redskins (naturally Jack’s favorite NFL team). When I worked with Jack he had not yet met the love of his life, Marla. Back then he was a confirmed bachelor who scooted around town in a sporty black Pontiac Firebird and was best buds with his dog Tom Tom.

Jack worked for WFMY for over 40 years, the latter 15 of which were spent as producer/director of the Good Morning Show. However, in the early 1970’s our production team worked the night shift, which meant taping The Old Rebel Show in the afternoon and doing newscasts at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.  In those days Jack was a technical director and punching live news shows was a pressure cooker job. Unlike today when digital technology and computers can be programmed and store all sorts of information, Jack had to juggle multiple sources every single second, coordinating news packages that had been shot on film, sports and weather graphics that were being updated by the minute, and doing all that while timing every element to the exact frame so that viewers saw a seamless presentation. Not just anybody could do what Jack did and stay calm while doing it. I’ve worked with lots of directors over the past five decades, and in the “old” days of television, most of them yelled, screamed, and used foul language when calling out instructions over the headset. Not Jack. No matter how many balls he was juggling during a half-hour newscast, he never raised his voice once and never chastised the crew if we made a mistake.

Of course, we also worked on less stressful projects together like the special program I produced and hosted with Red Skelton which Jack directed, and the bicentennial documentary he helped me with. But whether I was running the camera, doing the late-night weather, or interviewing celebrities, Jack was always there to support me.  

Those of us lucky enough to be on Jack’s crew were a family, even away from the studio. For example, between news shows, we would go out to dinner at Stamey’s BBQ or Libby Hill, and after we wrapped up the 11 o’clock show, we would often go grab breakfast at IHOP, play night tennis, or journey up to the client viewing area and load up an old film. We all loved what we were doing, and we loved doing it under Jack’s guidance.

In the years since then, Jack and I would meet for lunch, talk by phone, and email each other, but not often enough, and that is something I deeply regret. I didn’t know he had been sick and so I was shocked to hear that my ageless friend had passed away. Jack was a friend and a mentor, and if anyone ever asks me to describe him, I’ll say without hesitation or exaggeration, “Jack Hilliard was just the nicest guy.”