My Dad and Lynyrd Skynyrd

Usually, I limit my blogs to one per day, but I just had to do a special one.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

First of all, Mary and I wish my Dad, Louie, Sr., a happy birthday.

As stated in one of my first blogs, he is "Papa" to a new set of Williams grandchildren, my niece Stella and nephew Zach, just as his dad was "Papa" to my brother Chris, sister Laura, and me.

Dad, thanks for helping me become the successful person I am today and I just want you to know that I love and respect you more than you'll ever realize.

Happy Birthday, Dad! :)

The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash

"If I leave here tomorrow, will you still remember me?" - "Freebird", Lynyrd Skynyrd.

On October 20, 1977, the world of Southern rock lost three members of Jacksonville's own Lynyrd Skynyrd when their plane crashed in a patch of woods in Mississippi. :(

Those lost were lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and his sister, backup vocalist Cassie Gaines, plus their manager Dean Kilpatrick, the pilot, and the co-pilot.

During Christmas of 1999, I visited their gravesites at Jacksonville Memory Gardens in Orange Park, Florida. I spent at least 1o minutes just standing there and reflecting on what their music meant to me. Just before I left, I turned toward the tomb and quietly whispered, "Freebird!", in appreciation for the great music they left behind.

In early July, 2000, their gravesites were vandalized. Ronnie's casket was dragged out of its tomb and Steve Gaines's ashes were disinterred and part of them were dumped on the ground. Fortunately, Cassie's ashes were left alone.

As a result, Steve's ashes were removed (location currently unknown) and Ronnie was reburied in a ground plot next to his parents.

Fortunately, Skynyrd came back stronger than ever, with Ronnie's little brother Johnny Van Zant picking up the torch and carrying on the Skynyrd tradition.

Ronnie, Steve, and Cassie, you may have left us, but we still remember you... FREEBIRD!!!

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come back again.

The Varsity Rules!!!

Yesterday evening in Alpharetta, I decided to go have dinner at one of my favorite places... The Varsity!!!

I ordered the #1 combo... 2 legendary Varsity chili dogs, those totally awesome greasy, greasy, greasy onion rings, and a Coke. Now that's eatin', by golly! :)

For those of you who like history, here's a little something about the Varsity you may or may not know...

The Varsity was created by Thomaston, Georgia, native Frank Gordy, Sr., a Georgia Tech dropout who decided to build his restaurant right next door to the college. His goal was to be worth at least $20,000 (a lot of money back in the 1920's), but through hard work, motivation, and dedication, the fruits of his labor resulted in him becoming worth much, much more... and he left us and his family Atlanta's most legendary and beloved restaurant.

One of my favorite country songs is Alan Jackson's "Little Man", a lament of how the "mom and pop" stores in towns across America are being crushed by the "big money" of the major corporations. Fortunately, The Varsity has not suffered that fate and is still going strong... all thanks to the Gordy family, who still own and operate The Varsity to this very day.

For more on The Varsity's history and legacy, visit their website at www.thevarsity.com, and click on "History".

Over the years, I have eaten at all Varsity locations except the one in Cobb County at Town Center.

IMHO, you have never been to Atlanta until you have eaten at the original Varsity in Downtown Atlanta. Next time you're in town, put that on your "to do" list, and "bon appetite, y'all".

Oh yeah... if you haven't figured out by now my true feelings about this legendary Atlanta institution, well, here goes...

THE VARSITY RULES!!! :)

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come again.

We've Entered The 21st Century

On Monday, my wife and I have "entered the 21st Century" by upgrading to a home DSL internet connection.

To paraphrase the "Godfather of Soul", James Brown... IT FEELS GOOD... HEH... YIIIII!!! :)

The best part about DSL is webpages coming up lightning fast. We also like being able to send and receive e-mails with huge file attachments such as digital photos, and receiving streaming real-time video clips. Let's face facts, y'all... DSL ROCKS!!! :)

We have our DSL through BellSouth and got the mid-level FastAccess DSL package. If you'd like to get DSL, check their website at FastAccess.com and see if it's available for your area by entering your 10-digit phone number.

Also, we'd like to know who is actually out there reading the blogs we post. If you are, then please feel free to e-mail us at louie#louiewilliamsjr.com. We'd love to hear from you.

Fellow North Georgia alums, please feel free to e-mail us at ngcalum#louiewilliamsjr.com. Again, we'd love to hear from you.

PLEASE NOTE: "Spam filters" are in effect. Change # to @ before e-mailing.

For those of you who serve our nation, we, the staff of LouieWilliamsJr.com, salute you and thank you very much and we continue to keep y'all in our thoughts and prayers.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please come again.

It’s Still NGC To Me

Today, I did something that I hadn’t done in 3 years… I took a short “road trip” to Dahlonega and visited North Georgia College (and State University).

When I made my way down the hill on Highway 60 toward the campus, it was just amazing to see the sheer growth over the past 3 years alone.

I turned left onto Morrison Moore Parkway and entered the campus via Alumni Drive near the new privatized dorm John H. Owen Hall, which looked more like an apartment complex than the traditional dorms (Sirmons, Gaillard, Donovan, Lewis, Lewis Annex, and Sanford Halls).

My first stop was the Alumni Center, where I met fellow ’86 alum Mark Howarth, the alumni affairs director.

Mark and I had a nice chat in his new office about the things going on in our lives, such as our recent marriages (he and his new bride will celebrate their first wedding anniversary this month and I wish them the best), some old times (it’s been over 20 years ago since we were NGC students and cadets), and what’s happening with our fellow alums (several are in Iraq and Afghanistan, so please pray for them and give them your support). Most of all, it’s always nice to know that you can always visit Mark when you’re up there. It really made my day. Thanks, Mark, for all you do for our fellow alums worldwide. :)

Afterward, I walked to the bookstore to by my dad, Louie Sr., some North Georgia gear (he loves collecting North Georgia gear from me and U.S. Naval Academy gear from my little brother Chris, USNA ’94). I also got my wife, Mary, a teddy bear, which she just loved to death. J

Over the past 20 years, North Georgia is the same as it was back in “the day” such as freshman cadets “sounding off” to cadre, co-eds, and commuters (which we used to call “hairbags”). But it has changed quite a bit over those many years. The Canteen is like a miniature food court, they have Internet access and e-mails, and the chow hall is now a privatized facility with much more to choose from. BTW, remember the “surfburger”? It was the worst thing that ever tried to pass for food, thus earning the moniker “the patty from Hell”. Hopefully, that abomination has long since disappeared from the menu.

In 1996, the Georgia Board of Regents changed the college’s name to North Georgia College and State University. It now may be NGCSU, but it will still be NGC to me. :)

Thanks again to Mark for making my visit a pleasant one. If you ever get a chance to go to Dahlonega, especially during a weekday, check out the campus.

Oh yeah… don’t forget to stop by the Alumni Center and say “Hey” to Mark and the good folks that work there. They'll be happy you stopped by. :)

That’s all for now. Thanks for visiting LouieWilliamsJr.com and please come again.