30 Years And Counting

It doesn’t seem possible that almost 22 years ago I walked into the office of Seniors Today to ask them if they would be interested in running my column. To my surprise, Bonnie said yes, and as they say the rest is history,
It is such a privilege to be a contributor to such a great organization. Few papers, and I do mean a few, especially today fill the needs of a community like Seniors Today.

The paper gives a great cross section of articles that both inform and entertain. Something we all need in these trying times. I feel blessed to have been able to share my thoughts for so many years.

The funny thing is that I did not start out to be a writer. Actually, my ambitions were to be a rich businessman. My first 25 years of adulthood were focused on those ambitions. Most of those years were spent owning businesses. I owned Gadsden Wholesale in Quincy, Florida for 15 years and a Badcock Furniture store in Carrolton, Georgia for almost seven years.
I never really gave much thought to writing during those years until one fateful day in the Badcock Store. A fellow named Bill Chappell walked in to sell me advertising in his upstart weekly newspaper The Carroll Star. We talked for a little while and I agreed to buy an ad.

As he started to leave and to this day I really don’t know why, I called him back and asked him if he would be interested in me writing a column for him. He shocked me and agreed. I was both excited and scared. That night I wrote my first actual column. It was a story about an experience I had as a sheriff’s auxiliary deputy staking out a moonshine house.

There has been a lot of water under my bridge since those days including a stint for six years as a reporter for a newspaper, which opened the door for me to become the editor of the Havana Herald in North Florida. After retiring from the Herald, I worked part-time at my other passion, the Quincy Music Theatre and acting. Sadly, it is closed due to the pandemic. I have been in 66 musicals, a dozen drama’s including 12 Angry Men as well as directed.

I still write as you are aware with The Curious Life Of Marci Bell. Now, that is my passion, to keep Seniors Today with a fresh chapter every publication.
One last comment. Seniors Today has been successful all these years because of the dedication of those that work to make it the best it can be. So, thanks Bonnie Schillinger, Bonnie Gragg, and all of the contributing writers. It’s working.

You can contact Byron Spires via e-mail at windingroads@netzero.com