Childhood Memories

First there was the death of Captain Windy a few weeks ago. For those of you who are under 4o and/or not native Charlotteans, Captain Windy (aka Jerry Winchester) was a lovely, kind man who dressed as a pirate and greeted folks who came to Riverview Inn ,a local fish camp. He always had a kind word, a smile and a piece of candy for the kids. I've been thinking a lot about the Captain and other icons of my childhood lately, Fred Kirby, Joey the Clown, Connie Cottontop, and others. They were local celebrities in the 50's and 60's here in Charlotte who quietly showed a gentleness of spirit and humility that is sadly missing today. They speak of a time when people cared and respected each other, and as Joey said " All we have in this old world is each other." Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of Eminem and think SouthPark is brilliant, but I miss those figures of my childhood and am sad that today's children will grow up without similar role models.