Current Derek News Headlines: July- Derek plans to journey to California for the first time to see old Samford friend Anna in San Francisco. June- Derek is the head counselor of City 5. Have a great group of guys. It is an excellent week. May- Derek judges the Limestone County Sheriff’s Rodeo pageant. April- Derek has a wreck when another truck plows into him. March- Derek meets up with Yancy in Ardmore and judges high school pageant in Waynesboro, Tennessee, later judges high school pageant in Good Hope, Alabama. March- Derek traverses to Tennessee to spend a couple of days with friend John IV. Goes hiking in Smoky Mountains, explores University of Tennessee, visits a museum, sees Gods and Generals, strolls through University of the South in Sewanee, etc. March- Derek attends the Boys State Planning Workshop at U of Montevallo March- Derek receives the Key to the City of Ardmore, Tennessee!!! March- Derek judges elementary pageants in Ardmore, Tennessee and sees Prom Dream Date production also directed by Yancy. February- Derek visits his high school to attend the OGHSAF Association meeting. Is the first time he has returned to the institution during school hours since he graduated . Feels like a stranger in a foreign land. February- Derek and Josh launch work-in-progress WJCHS. January- Derek appointed Chair of Nominations Committee of WJCH Society. January- Derek begins taking his first class in the JSU MPA program December- Derek moves to a new apartment complex in downtown Jacksonville. Only 5 units, all inhabited by college girls except for Derek’s. Derek travels with Judge Johnson to the American Legion National Americanism Commission Conference in Indianapolis to attend the conference of the 49 Boys State programs. Derek presents the history of his church, Rock Creek Baptist, at its 182nd anniversary celebration. Derek judges the Little Miss National Peanut Festival Pageant in Dothan, Alabama with good friend Yancy. Derek moves his personal banking to Compass (a bank that does not mistreat him) from ScAmSouth which has to be the most rotten bank ever. Longtime friend Hamid gets married in Tuscaloosa. Beloved family pet, Roscoe the hound dog dies. 1989-2002. Roscoe accompanied Derek on meanders throughout many miles of central Alabama woodlands. Derek started back to class- MPA classes at UAB on August 22. A stupid, or more likely smart, bird finds a way into Derek’s apartment via the dryer vent and goes ballistic. Derek awakened by the racket in his closet and was nearly killed by the feathered beast’s beak o’ death.
