Opinion: Special column shines like silver

This column is a special one for me.

For a while now, I have been counting down to the 25th anniversary of this column. The countdown is complete.

Yes, my alter ego, Rusty Saber, has reached full adulthood. Born in January 1983, Rusty is 25 years old. So it is my silver anniversary.

Tradition calls for a report on the number of times the column has appeared in SBJ: 1,705.

Twenty-five years is a long time. Just how long?

Brett Favre, who seemingly has been the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers forever, was a junior at Mississippi’s Kiln High School the year of Rusty’s birth.

Ronald Reagan was in his first term as president. The life of the column has spanned Reagan’s second term, one term by George H. W. Bush, two terms by Bill Clinton and two by George W. Bush.

In 1983, the price of petroleum climbed to $30 a barrel, up from $5 a barrel in 1974.

Lately, prices are edging toward $100 a barrel.

When Rusty was a newborn, “Gandhi” won eight Academy Awards. Sally Ride, aboard the space shuttle Challenger, became the first woman in space. Iran invaded southeast Iraq; Iraq accused the United States of arming Iran.

The plot may have changed since 1983, but the actors remain the same.

Younger than Rusty

You may think Alex Trebek has hosted “Jeopardy” forever. Well, he began asking questions in the form of answers in 1984, a year after Rusty’s beginning.

The PG-13 movie rating also is younger than Rusty. The rating arrived in late 1984.

Rusty was approaching its first birthday when in September 1984, England’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced the birth of their second son, Prince Henry, known by the world as Harry. He is now a 24-year-old heartthrob.

One last reminder of the passage of time: Folks who were a young, spunky 25 when this column first saw the light of day are now eligible for membership in AARP. Sorry to bring up this little tidbit of information. How do you think that makes me feel? I was pretty far beyond 25 when it all began.

Unique vantage point

As a longtime Springfield Business Journal observer, I am delighted at the growth of the paper, which can be explained by the constantly improving quality of the content, the special publications and sponsored activities.

It has been a hoot being involved, albeit in a tiny role, with the people who have crafted SBJ into the powerful media force it has become.

Traditional hiatus

I suppose activities become traditions by continually repeating them. So the tradition doesn’t pass away for my wife and I to spend six winter weeks on Maui, Hawaii.

We are boarding the plane as this issue arrives in the hands of subscribers.

Rest assured, I will spend much time gazing at the Pacific Ocean and soaking up the sun – lathered head to toe with a high-numbered sunscreen, of course.

I plan to continue to strive to create a whole new definition of relaxation.

Sunsets watched from our beach aren’t just to be viewed, they are to be experienced. I plan to experience more than a few of them.

Until this column returns in March …

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