SAD BAD OLD DAYS

The good old days photos and newspaper clippings brought back from my recent Savannah visit are still spread pell-mell on my dining table awaiting my sorting. Thanksgiving Day I and visiting family were entertained going through them so they have served some purpose. Since I’ve taken a closer look and found some items might be more interesting as examples of the so-called GOOD old days in light of the continuing world disasters we’ve since come to accept on an almost daily basis… or perhaps it is just my passion for history.

Going through copies of old G Southern U newspapers from when I attended, there were whole editions I’d put away to later clip and save. One such was a 1955 front page headline “’Dear Brutus’ cast set For Spring Production” (Don’t ask me what the choice of Capitol letters indicates since I haven’t a clue.) I was in that play so I clipped and read it. An early paragraph caught my attention and brought a flood of memories that spanned several decades: “Darwin Humphrey, freshman, Vidalia, has been chosen to portray Mr. Dearth,’ a good man who has gone wrong, and in his heart despises himself for it’.” The last paragraph deals with yours truly thusly: “In the role of Mrs. Purdie will be Nan Waters, senior Savannah. Mrs. Purdie is: ‘a simple young wife, wistful, who knows her husband is fond of Joanna’.” The only thing I remember about that play was being criticized in my portrayal for what I thought was showing simple and wistful facial expressions as I stood behind a tree spying on them.

Fast forward to the 80s when I was listening to my car radio and a rather well known Georgia humorist, Lou Grizzard, was doing a bit. I was shocked to hear him remark that another award winning journalist Georgian, Darwin Humphrey had several years before (1978) been murdered in the Jonestown, Guyana masacre. That was the first I’d heard of whatever became of my long ago stage buddy. How could I have missed that fact as closely and vividly as TV coverage was of that horror show when over 900 members of Jim Jones ‘s Peoples Temple commune were also killed?!

Simple! His professional name, used for years while covering the Viet Nam War including the fall of Saigon and as NBC newsman who won four Emmys and DuPont/Columbia Award, was not Darwin Humphrey but Don Harris.

Sadly, some good old days were not so good after all.