It all started with Coke

My friend Chuck was a budding journalist in the spring of 1965. He was the editor of The Gavel, J. R. Tucker High School's newspaper in Richmond, Virginia. He was also the Coke Teen Time reporter on the local rock station, WMBG. Once a week or so he would go to the station to record school news. Chuck was a busy boy though and asked me if I would take over for him.

I was thrilled! To be recorded at a radio station by an on-the-air DJ; to hear my voice on the radio -- how cool was that? In April or May of 1965 I went with Chuck to meet the disc jockey who created the segments. That would be local Richmond celebrity, Don Dale.

Last weekend, fifty years later, I traveled to Richmond to celebrate the remarkable friendship that started in 1965. There have been ups, there have been downs, but through it all Don and I have remained friends and are likely closer now than we’ve ever been. What started with “Hi, this is Walt Foery from J R Tucker High school with Coke Teen Time News” has grown into a lifelong relationship that has anchored me over the decades.

As I am wont to do, I prepared music for the dinner and for party favors. It was all from 1965, and what a great year that was: Downtown; Stop! In the Name of Love; Eight Days a Week; My Girl; I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch); Mr. Tambourine Man; I Got You Babe; Yesterday; Unchained Melody; Like A Rolling Stone; and THE song of the summer, Satisfaction, by the Rolling Stones. (And many others, including probably the worst song ever to be named song of the year, Wooly Bully).

Don invited four family members, his niece Terry and her husband, James, as well as his nephew Mike and Mike’s wife, Becky; I invited my brother Raymond, my dear friend Malette – who drove up from North Carolina – my Richmond friend Sally – the “best person” at my wedding – and Lu and Leslie, who drove down from Laurel, MD. No one of us knew everyone at dinner but we all had a connection either to the summer of 1965 in Richmond, or to me or Don. Don and I, my brother and Lu were the four in the group who actually partied together fifty years ago.

Me circa 1965

Don, circa 1965

That summer was perhaps the happiest of my life and Saturday night was one of the happiest dinners I’ve ever attended. We ate fantastic food at Southbound, a hot and cool restaurant in Stony Point that opened last fall; ironically, it is in the same shopping strip as the Charley's that opened back in 1986 – the Charley's for which I was supposed to be general manager. (See "My Husband".)

Southbound's food, service and ambience were exquisite and added mightily to a fabulous evening. I know I speak for all when I say that. Don already wants to do it again for our 51st!