A friend from our days in Alton, IL, in the 1970s found a clip she thought I might like and sent via email today. It brings back more than a few memories of that time in the city just north of St. Louis.

I was lucky to win a number of awards while reporting and shooting photos during 12 years at the paper, including ones for columns. The ones in this the article cited three written about illegal stunts by elected officials and a drunken cop at a bar in the city. After the story was published, the brake line in my car was cut and a girlfriend who was driving it crashed. Fortunately, she was not hurt and the car was repaired.

No one was ever identified or caught for the act.

The photo, used with my columns, showed a man with black hair, no grey, and more than a few less pounds on the body. Was I ever that young? Damn if I remember.

I still have a fairly good head of hair and a thick beard but both are white, not grey. and the face the beard covers is scarred and weather-beaten. I’m 75 and look it.