May 22, 1985
I don't know how he pulled it off. But Dad's dream was always to fly in an F-4 fighter jet. He got that opportunity at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, on a day four months before his 50th birthday.
He had to do more than just show up and then go up. He had to undergo a lot of pre-flight instructions, and pass a physical. A rollercoaster at Kings Island pulls one of two Gs during a normal ride, and the F-4 pulls four times as much, which means you run the risk of passing out and hurling your breakfast, maybe at the same time.
John was in flight school through the Air Force reserve, looking dapper. Dad was dressed for combat. And I looked like the loser law student/ sportswriter who didn't have a clue what was going on the whole time. A year later, Tom Cruise would star in the movie Top Gun, which Dad made everyone go see at least once. I think he saw it 412 times.
Highway to the Danger Zone.
...
July 13, 1985
It was the day Live Aid dominated the news and everything on television, with music artists taking the stage in Philadelphia during the day and then London that night, raising money for humanitarian efforts.
It was also the day Taffy's first litter showed up at Mom and Dad's...and quickly took over the whole house. But that's what dogs do, don't they?
...
The high school football season started, at least for me, watching Brad Lamb run for more than 200 yards in the Springboro season-opener against Carlisle. The Panthers ended up having a good season, but they didn't hold my attention all season.
Franklin did. I picked them in the second week of the season, and never let go. There was such a buzz following that football team, featuring a bunch of seniors who were going to take advantage of their time in the sun. It seemed like week after week they did something miraculous, and I had the front row seat on the sidelines, camera and notebook in hand. And I loved every minute of it.
The Fenwick game went down to the wire. So did Miamisburg in the last game of the season, played in a downpour. "How did you prepare your players for playing in all this rain?" I asked Wildcat head coach John Aregood. "We lied to them," he said, cracking a smile. "We told them it would work to our advantage."
The 10-0 regular season was Franklin's first since 1960. It also qualified the 'Cats for the pst-season playoff, played against Park Hills at Middletown's Barnitz Stadium. That game also came down to the last play, only this one was one of the worst calls in high school football history. Johnny Cornett's "Hail Mary" was caught by Sammy Johnson, giving Franklin the win. But the far-side ref called Franklin for a penalty...and then the refs didn't give the Wildcats another play. It had to be one or the other -- decline the penalty, touchdown, or accept the penalty, and another play.
Such a disappointing end to a fabulous season. I was glad to be part of it.