Opinion: New year to begin happily on Maui

There is a certain expectation that pundits such as myself devote the first column of the year either to recapping the top stories from the past 12 months or predicting the big events upcoming in the New Year. So many of my peers will do this very thing that little original material would be left for me to cover. I’ll leave that sort of thing to them.

Recently, I was reminded of another item I usually mention this time of year: Rusty Saber’s birthday.

What brought it to mind was a TV interview of a young Hollywood leading man. Quite honestly, I don’t remember his name. To me, he was just another young interchangeable Hollywood type who looks and dresses about the same as all the others. Sorry, they all look alike to me. (I’m trying to imagine movie fans in the old Hollywood days unable to tell the difference between Clark Gable, Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart.)

Although I can’t recall the star’s name, I remember that he said he was born in January 1983.

That’s when it hit me: The actor and Rusty Saber are the same age. I was taken aback. In the length of time this column has existed, the actor was born, grew up, was educated and became an actor. Based on his appearance during the interview, he apparently never learned to comb his hair with anything other than an eggbeater; however, along the way, he apparently got a big break enabling him to achieve some sort of star status.

Wow. Twenty-three years is a long time. For the actor and Rusty Saber, it’s a lifetime. Yes, my persona, Rusty Saber, is now a young adult of 23. If he were a real person, he could vote, buy beer, drive a car and all other things grownups do. However, if he had hair, he would be ahead of the abovementioned actor and do something with it other than wear it in a bunch of spikes.

It has been a long time since Rusty was born. Ronald Reagan was a couple of years into his first term when this column first saw the light of day. After he served two terms, the senior George Bush served one, Bill Clinton two and the second President Bush is in his second term. A lot of fads, styles and fashions have come and gone. This column has had something to say about many of them.

SBJ Publisher Dianne Elizabeth Osis expects my yearly report on the total number of times the column has appeared in this newspaper. I can do this because, as I said a year ago, I’m the sort of fuddy duddy who keeps track of such things. So as not to disappoint the boss, it has appeared 1,122 times. That’s a heap of deadlines.

Yet another chore to be performed here is to announce that I will be on a short furlough. Regular readers know that my wife and I annually spend six weeks of the winter on Maui. Week after week this column appears in this space. You, dear readers, deserve a break from the frivolity. One request: Don’t get too attached to what may appear in this space. I’ll be back.

Meanwhile, I’m in serious need of a break. This past year I have suffered great disappointments and feelings of betrayal. You see, I am a fan of both the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs: cruel and unusual punishment, indeed. I have suffered enough. So, I am off to shed my winter coat. When I return, spring won’t be far behind. You and I shall welcome it together.

Now comes the holiday greeting. I guess “Happy New Year” offends no one. The political correctness crowd has yet to find a way to insert itself into this holiday. However, if we really stretch our imaginations to the max, we might suspect that those who adhere to the Chinese New Year might be offended by the Jan. 1 celebration. So far, no offense has been taken.

To all SBJ readers: Happy New Year!

Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University.

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