Names

When I was in graduate school I had a fellow student named Landt. I said that if she married Cary Grant, got divorced and married Calvin Coolidge, she would be a Landt Grant Collidge.

This is a true story: When I was at the University of Georgia, there was a gorgeous woman named Barbara Vann. One day I was asked if I would tutor someone in economics and I say who? “Barbara Vann”. Of course I said yes. So freshly showered with my most stylish clothes I waited in anticipation and heard a tap tap tap. It was a blind kid who came into the room and said “Is Harold Black here”. Yes who are you? “Bob Ravan”.

Have you ever thought about people in professions who had names that either fit or conflicted? Like a fisherman named Fischer or a hunting guide named Hunter of a priest named Bishop. How about a soldier named Coward? Well there is a doctor I know named Payne. Which is better than another doctor in Arkansas named Dedman – which also is the name of a medical center in Dallas. Does Carlos Boozer drink? Are Bob Veal or Jack Hamm vegetarians? Wasn’t Barry Bonds the glue that held the San Francisco Giants together? Is my neighbor Nick Cook a chef? I am not going to speculate about Hugh Jackman. Did you know that the TSA administrator is John Pistole?

When someone made fun of my name while I was at the University of Georgia, I remarked that there were 7 blacks in my class but I was the only one that was.

When I was at the University of Florida, a student in class made a snide remark about my name, since his name was Condon I told him I was going to exercise discretion.