Marshall Ramsey

You can go home again. And on Sunday I get to. For the first time in 27 years, I return to my old high school.  And it’s for an amazing reason.

I’m one of 12 Sprayberry High School alumni who are being inducted into the inaugural class of Sprayberry High’s “Humanities Wall of Fame.” Honestly, I’m humbled. Why? When you see the major talent on the list, you know why.  My high school has had a knack of producing talented students in all fields.  So to be in the first class to be recognized like this is a huge honor.

I want to say thank you to Wanda Patterson (the teacher who you should thank if you like my editorial cartoons) for spearheading this event. She has given much of her life to making Sprayberry and its students’ lives better. I’m thankful that she, my parents, sisters, my wife and kids can be there.  They’re all the reasons I do what I do. So I get to say thank you to them all at the same time. I’m a blessed man.

Here’s the article about it from The Marietta Daily Journal (my hometown paper where I first worked after being a janitor). I hope my friend Joe Kirby doesn’t mind I copied it here.

FROM OPERA TO OPRY and in between, 12 of Sprayberry High’s most distinguished alumni will be honored Sunday with induction as the inaugural class of the school’s “Humanities Wall of Fame.” And a distinguished class it is, including stars from stage, screen and beyond. Alumni being honored include:

• Artist Robin Bolton, who recently was commissioned to do a painting for the 25th anniversary of The Carter Center,

• International opera/musical theater star Adam Cannedy, who made his Lincoln Center debut in “Where the Wild Things Are,”

• National Speech Teacher of the Year and Debate Coach of the Year Chester Gibson of West Georgia State University,

• Best-selling novelist Roy Johansen,

• Grammy-winning opera star Jennifer Larmore, the most-recorded mezzosoprano of all time with more than 100 CDs,

• Chicago Symphony Orchestra principal trumpeter Christopher Martin, whose playing was featured on the soundtrack of the recent movie “Lincoln,”

• Boston Symphony/Boston Pops trumpeter Michael Martin,

• Tony Award-winning Broadway/TV/film actor Stephanie Michels, winner of the Fred Astaire Award in 2000 as Best Dancer on Broadway and a former Miss Georgia (1992),

• Syndicated political cartoonist Marshall Ramsey, whose cartoons appear in more than 400 newspapers (including this one) and who is a two-time finalist for The Pulitzer Prize, and

• Country music star Travis Tritt, who’s had five No. 1 singles and is a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

The event will feature performances by Ms. Larmore and Cannedy and will take place at 2 p.m. in the Ralph Quarles Auditorium at Sprayberry, says retired Sprayberry English/journalism professor Wanda Patterson.

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal – Sinclair Bows Out Clears path for Walker to Marietta Council

This morning, we lined the kids up against the back door with their backpacks on. My first grader, a literalist if there ever was one, noted correctly that his backpack was empty and he should not have to wear it. Once his mother told him (truthfully) that there were a few pieces of paper in it, he agreed to the impromptu photo shoot and the picture was taken.  My three sons, all who were once little, tiny and dainty, were standing there like stair-stepped clones of their mother.  The height fairy had come and sprinkled them with height dust. I smiled, looking at their handsome faces and thought of how quickly time was passing. It’s almost passing as quickly as they are growing. Almost.

It’s August 7th and they are back in school.  Next year they will start closer to Labor Day.  That’s the way it was when I was a kid (back when we were drawing on cave walls in art class).  But we also got out in June.  That, if you will pardon my French, sucked.  It’s darned if you do, darned if you don’t. But just for the mere fact that they won’t have to ride on the Easy Bake Oven School Bus when it is this hot for as long, I’m OK with them starting closer to September.

I fell asleep on the couch last night and had some freaky dreams. One involved death (not to be morbid — I have those kind of dreams since my cancer a few years ago.)  I woke up at 4:59 a.m. and leapt out of bed.  I ran 3.10 miles in the soggy humid air.  I hurt but felt alive. It has been a tough couple of weeks and I guess I do feel particularly mortal.  It could be a mid-life crisis, but I doubt it. I have no urge to go buy a red Corvette or seek a trophy wife. I know if I did something that stupid, I would have bigger problems (involving that death dream I was talking about.)

No, my true trophy wife Amy was grumpily trying to herd the kids out the door and get herself ready for her first day of school at the same time  The dog was attacking my youngest son’s shoe.  The older boys were busily talking about how exciting the new year will be. Another school year has started. Another year has passed.  My boys are taller.  My wife is prettier.  I’m a little bit older. And for reasons I can’t quite explain, I feel at peace.