Takes Me Back....Though I Don't Want to Go

A lot of you folks think I exaggerate the....well.....redneckitude of my upbringing.

But, here's an example:

Appparently Roosevelt Holloman just died. There was an obituary in the Orlando Sentinel.

But it was a bit odd. People protested. And the Sentinel pulled the obit. I found it on the cache at Google:

Roosevelt Holloman devoted himself to helping others learn
Winter Park residents will remember Roosevelt "Big Holly" Holloman as an educator with a big voice and an even bigger heart.

Pretty standard obit, right. Well.....there's more to the story. You see, Roosevelt Holloman was an assistant principal at my high school, West Orange High. And Roosevelt got into a spot of trouble with the head principal, Raymond Screws. Mr. Holloman, it appears, was likely to be fired.

And, so, Mr. Holloman did what any red-blooded Central Floridian from our area would do. He took a gun to school, and shot Mr. Screws dead. In December 1977, just after I graduated from this Mecca of higher learning.

Yes, he did. The obit in the Sentinel left that out. Wow. Mr. Holloman was sentenced to life in prison without parole. So, when he died just now, on Feb 20, 2009, he died....in prison. The obit in the Sentinel left THAT out, also.

Now, the football field, where the Mighty Warriors get killed every Friday night in the fall, is named....Raymond Screws field. And that, as Paul Harvey would say, is the REST of the story.

The West Orange Times gives the denouement....